The House Of Hades
by Blondie B. Happy
Summary: The House of Hades Holds the Key; To Destroying the World and Restoring Peace. Percy and Annabeth have been casted into the darkest parts of the Underworld to do the unimaginable. Meanwhile, their friends have to sail to Greece to close the mortal side of The Doors of Death. But the real leader of this quest isn't even part of the Prophecy of Seven... It's Nico di Angelo.
1. Chapter 1: Percy

**Hey everyone, I've returned. I just finished the Mark of Athena, and Rick Riordan is such a troll! I cried at the end. So, of course, I had to write my own version of the House of Hades. **

**Sorry about typos and OOCness. I hope you enjoy!**

**Happy Reading!**

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Chapter 1

Percy

_As long as we're together…_

They were still together, but for how long, Percy didn't know.

Percy's free hand grappled at the air, while his other hand clung to Annabeth's sweaty, pale hand, as the world around him got darker and darker, and the light above them, marking his friend's silhouettes got smaller until it was only a tiny pin point, and then it was gone.

A feeling of freefall was not a new to him. But the feeling of freefalling into Tartarus, the endless cesspool of evil, was entirely new. Percy wasn't one of those daredevils that went sky diving into the Underworld on his downtime. He'd much rather spend his time, well, anywhere else.

Gravity managed to pulled Percy down farther than Annabeth, so that he was underneath her. While he was gasping and coughing and yelping, she was abnormally quiet. Percy couldn't see her face anymore, which frightened him.

_No, no, no_… this wasn't the happy ending Percy wanted.

Percy's mouth formed words, some not very appropriate, some unintelligible. His head was swimming with nausea, and the feeling that his limbs were being ripped apart was only a dull throb. Did he still have limbs? He'd hit so many things that he wouldn't be surprised if his legs were gone.

Of piece of debris hit him in the arm, the one that was holding onto Annabeth. His grip slackened.

_NO!_ He yelled at himself_. You will not lose her again._

Before Percy could let go, he yanked her against his own body. He wrapped his arms around her back and over her shoulders in a tight embrace that wouldn't let up. He put his hand on the back of her skull and pushed it closer to his chest to protect her from the flying wreckage and their impending impact.

Their impending impact… when were they ever going to reach the bottom?

It seemed as if they'd been falling for an eternity when the light started to shine. Not the kind of light that the sun produces, but a sinister glow that only showed the shadows of faces.

Percy could see Annabeth's blood and dust coated blonde hair. Her face was covered in dirt and scratches, and her eyes were closed.

The clog of terror seemed to vanish from his throat with this sudden minimal burst of light eradicating from the walls, and Percy found himself able to talk better.

He bent his head down and out his lips against Annabeth's ear. "Please say something," he whispered, but he wasn't even sure that she could hear him. He couldn't hear himself with all of the commotion going on.

"Please, Annabeth," he pleaded. "Please be alive."

And her head twitched up and down, not involuntarily. She had nodded, which meant she was conscious. Just knowing that made Percy feel loads better.

Percy would do anything for Annabeth. They were stuck like glue. After the abduction by Her Majesty of Annoyance, the goddess Hera (or Juno, depending on who you were) Percy and Annabeth had been separated from each other for sixth months.

Which, to Percy, had been sixth months WAY too long.

Only a few days ago had they been reunited on one of the best days of Percy's life. But that best day of his life hadn't lasted too long, because almost right after the incident, his friend Leo had been possessed by an eidolon. The eidolon had caused Leo to shoot at the Romans, which had started World War III for the Greeks and Romans.

Confusing? Welcome to the life of a demigod.

For the past few days, they had journeyed across the United States, over the Atlantic Ocean, through the Mediterranean, all the way to Rome, on a Greek trireme called the Argo II.

Of course, once they had reached Rome, they'd been split up. Percy had gone with Jason and Piper to a place Piper had seen on her dagger (long story), then to get save their friend Nico by getting rid of a giant named Ephialtes and his brother, the ballerina named Otis (longer story).

Meanwhile, Leo, Frank, and Hazel had gone to try and pinpoint Nico's location without knowing that the others were going to end up finding him. Long story short, Frank and Hazel had been knocked out by a bunch of monsters who planned on using them to help Gaea rise, and Leo had saved them by cracking open a fortune cookie that gave him a code to go all commando on them with weapons made by Archimedes.

And in the midst of that, Annabeth had been kidnapped by Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn, and then tortured, shocked, horrified, and maimed by Arachne, the mother of spiders. But it'd been Annabeth's quest to follow the Mark of Athena and find the Athena Parthenos, which she did, all with a broken ankle.

Percy could've never been a prouder boyfriend.

So, finally, Percy had found Annabeth with the ground falling apart all around them, into the bottomless pit of evil. Of course, with just his luck, there had still been spider silk wrapped around Annabeth's broken ankle.

Too late had he realized what this had meant. The spider silk yanked Annabeth, who'd had with no strength left, and she had gone over the edge. Percy had grabbed her arm, also being pulled over. He'd latched onto a ledge.

As he continued to fall, the final scenes replayed in his mind.

Nico, trying his best to save them, but they'd been too far down.

Percy making Nico promise to meet them at the Doors of Death.

And, sadly, Annabeth, just telling him to let her go, her voice so full of despair that it had broken Percy's heart.

"Never," he'd told her. He would never let go of her. If she went down, he was going down with her. "We're staying together," he'd promised.

"As long as we're together," she'd told him, and he'd let go of the ledge.

And Percy didn't regret his decision.

So as their bodies flopped uselessly through the air, Percy knew that there was no way any of his powers would come in handy. A salty spring or a cursing horse wouldn't help them much where they were going.

Percy felt a continuous tug on him, and it wasn't gravity. Tartarus was sucking them down. Percy was glad that his friends were okay, and he hoped to Poseidon that they hadn't tried to follow them down there.

If Nico had been able to find the Doors of Death, than hopefully Percy and Annabeth would be able to too.

A chuck of asphalt hit Percy's head. Hard.

Black and green spots appeared in his vision and a bunch of air leaked from his lungs. He was vaguely aware of his slipping grip on Annabeth, and then her arms wrapping themselves around his neck. Her head pressed itself in the crook of his neck.

Percy tried to ignore the pain, which was pretty hard. This was one of those moments that he wished that he still had the curse of Achilles.

When the pain faded a small bit, Percy blinked rapidly, trying to get the spots out of his eyes. He faintly heard someone muttering, "Percy, Percy…" Annabeth.

Something huge knocked into them both, and Percy had the feeling that it'd been a car. It knocked the sharply the right (or was it the left?) and threw them against the wall of sharp stone.

Everything seemed to be in slow motion, Percy could see the black stone getting closer, and Percy turned his body so it shielded Annabeth, and took the full force of the hit.

A voice cackled sleepily. _You will not be able to escape this time, Percy Jackson. Maybe you should have let Annabeth go. But that doesn't matter no. You're both doomed, and your friends will perish before they ever reach the House of Hades. _

Percy had blood in his mouth. Over the roar of wind in his ears, he screamed at the voice of Gaea. "We WILL close the Doors of Death. You have no idea what you're facing!"

_Oh, really, little Son of Poseidon. Even the Gods of Olympus haven't been able to find me rising for the last 2,000 years. I am much stronger than you'll ever be. _

And just to prove that, another flying chuck of road hit Percy hard, and sent them spiraling down faster.

With one last desperate thought_, Save her_, Percy blacked out.

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**Thanks for reading! Sorry that it was short and a little boring! I'll post Chapter 2 soon. I'm going to have four different POVs. If the first is Percy, then who do you think the others should be? **

*****As of 12/13/12: Haters gonna hate, I get that. But if you don't like, don't bother reviewing or reading. There are currently 175 other House of Hades stories. I'm sure you'll find one that you like! Remember: No one likes a troll. No one. *****

**Reviews and ideas are loved!**

**-BBH**


	2. Chapter 2: Nico

**Hey everyone! 66 reviews and 69 followers for ONE CHAPTER?! You guys are spoiling me:) You all are amazing sexy beasts! Thank you all so much! Ha... it's 10/11/12! Awesomesauce!**

**Sorry for typos and OOCness. I hope you enjoy!**

**Happy Reading!**

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Chapter 2

Nico

It was national 'Hate on Nico' week, wasn't it?

In the last week or two (Nico had lost track of time), he'd been tortured and deprived of most human needs, including oxygen. The giants had treated him like a science project, keeping him locked in a jar and studying as if he were a fascinating creature of some source.

But Nico had actually realized how stupid his idea had been before everything had gone completely wrong. He'd realized that when the voices had begun to invade his mind as he stood on the edge of the pit. The pit to Tartarus. They'd called for help and said things that had confused him.

"Save me," they'd hissed. "It's up to you, Ghost King. Only you can do it. You know the secrets to endless death_." Endless death?_ He'd thought. _Isn't that up to Thanatos?_

And once he'd gotten too close, it had sucked him in.

Not like with a cord or anything. It was more like a vacuum, taking everything within a certain range into its tight grip, cutting him up and swirling him around until up and down had no meaning. Start and end were the same thing.

One choice. If he'd just ignored the voices, his entire life wouldn't have blown back into his face.

It honest to gods hurt to even think about his time in Tartarus. He was the first demigod to ever make it out of there alive, and that was only because a rogue earth goddess and a few giants and a couple thousand monsters had taken advantage of him when he was at his weakest.

And by weakest, it was both physically and mentally. Tartarus had nearly drove Nico insane. It was no place fit for living, or the living for that matter.

Once he'd been put in the glass jar, his mind had been at its weakest. In the jar, he had relived the entire experience a hundred time, each worse than the last.

And now, Percy and Annabeth were stuck down there too. And this was his entire fault.

He should've done more to try and save them. Instead, he'd practically just stood there and watched them fall to their possible deaths.

On the bright side, his senses told him that they weren't dead, which meant that they'd survived the fall. Or that they were still falling. Or maybe, just maybe, they'd been abducted by a few Pegasus and had flown away to Australia.

Yeah, that seemed like a good option.

And now, everyone blamed themselves, and Piper was using her charmspeak to calm them down, though she seemed a bit crazed herself. He had never met Piper or Leo, and he didn't know what to think of them. Piper, of course, was gorgeous, but Nico knew no girl like that would ever date him, especially since she was dating Jason, Mr. Perfect. He might as well tape the 'Forever Alone' head onto his chest to warn everyone.

And Leo freaked him out. Any guy who could shoot fire out of his fingertips was definitely crazy. He had that wild look in his eyes like he might burst at any moment. Someone needed to remove sugar of all kinds from his diet at start feeding him grain or something.

Jason had sparks coming off of his body. Frank looked like he wanted to turn into a pigeon and fly away. Hazel was fiddling with a ruby the size of her hand. Leo was staring at his feet, a small flame ignited in his palm. Piper was pacing the deck, worry written all over her face. She was muttering things to herself, stuff like, "It's okay," or, "They can do this."

Everyone felt like it was his or her fault. Nico knew Hazel was thinking the same thing he was. If they'd just been a little quicker, more proactive and observant, their friends would still be there. Frank and Jason felt suckish because they hadn't flown down there to help them. Even though Piper wouldn't have been able to do anything, she was still grieving. And Leo was beating himself up for being then one who'd opened up the fortune cookie (Nico was still waiting for someone to fully explain that) and sacrificed Percy and Annabeth, if that was what had really happened.

Since everyone else seemed distracted and terrified, Nico put on his big boy pants and said, "Okay guys, we can't just sit here and do nothing. We need to make plans on what to do now."

Leo looked up at him. "Dude, we're in the air on the route to Greece. Festus can take care of us. Why should we get up? There aren't any monsters attacking."

"Well, if Percy and Annabeth were here-"

"Please," barked Frank suddenly, standing up. "Don't bring Percy and Annabeth into this. They're gone right now, and it's our fault, no matter what anyone else says." He stormed away, and not even Hazel bothered to go after him. Nico watched as he stomped down the stairs like an angry Pooh Bear.

It was totally out of character. Nico had never seen Frank that mad. Frank wasn't even the kind of person that usually got mad. Most of the time, Frank kept his anger in.

"Don't take it personally," Piper said. "We all feel horrible about Percy and Annabeth, and we all realize that they're gone for now. But we are on this quest to save them, right?"

"Right," agreed Jason, taking Piper's hand. "Let's just not bring this up. We will find them at the Doors of Death, and we will save them." Nico could tell Jason was trying to keep it together himself.

"Okay," Nico sighed, flopping to the floor of the deck. He laid down on his back and stretched his arms over his head. So much for being the fearless leader. They all needed more time for this situation to sink in.

And for the first time, Nico really did allow it to sink in. Percy and Annabeth were gone. His two friends, the ones that had saved his life on multiple occasions and helped him figure out his true identity, just thrown away as a sacrifice. It was sick.

Nico heard the sound of breaking glass from below deck, followed by, "Yeah, you see that? You ain't got NOTHING on me!" That was definitely the voice of their crazy chaperone, the satyr Gleeson Hedge.

Nico glanced at the faces of the other demigods. They seemed oblivious to what had happened. All except for Jason, who had perked up a bit and cocked his head to one side. He raised an eyebrow at Nico. "You want me to check on him?"

"No, I can do it," Nico said, standing up again. He went down to the cabins and scanned each one. Nico ended up finding Coach Hedge in his own room, baseball bat in one hand. He was glaring at the broken porthole window, the shards of it at his hooves.

"Do you want to tell me what the scary window did to you?" Nico asked sarcastically.

The five foot satyr walked straight up to Nico. Everyone else pretty much towered over Coach, but Nico was only five foot four inches. He was taller, but not by much. He poked his finger in Nico's face. "Don't cross me, boy."

"Look, I understand if you're angry, but there's no reason to be breaking windows."

"Maybe I wanted fresh air," he retorted stubbornly, jutting up his chin and whacking a pillow off the bed.

"Then you could've opened it," Nico said slowly, using big hand gestures.

"Hey, I'm just upset. Normal people would be," shot Coach Hedge, swinging his bat back and forth. Nico backed up. "But maybe you don't even have any emotions. You children of Hades are weird."

"Of course I'm upset," growled Nico, throwing his hands up in exasperation. "They were my friends. But sitting around, vandalizing the ship is not going to help us at all. We need to work at getting somewhere, or they're going to die."

Coach Hedge glared at him for another minute, then huffed loudly and pushed past him and out of the room, vanishing from his sight. Nico sighed and pivoted on his heel and also exited the room.

When Nico returned to the deck, the only one who was still up there was Hazel. She was gazing out at the see below them, churning restlessly like Percy would be. Nico knew that if they were on the ground, diamonds would be sprouting around her feet.

Nico hadn't had the chance to talk to her yet. Truth be told, even after knowing Hazel for almost a year, he still wanted to believe that she was Bianca, that his real, biological sister had never died. Her death had led to resentment to gods and demigods, and most of all, Percy. For a while, he'd blamed everyone for her death and had strived for a way to bring her back to life.

Looking back on that moment, Nico felt stupid. He should've known that there was no way to bring the dead back to life.

But now, there was. And, as proof, there was Hazel.

Sadly, all of his hope for that alternative was gone, because Bianca was gone now too. She was off to be reborn, and Nico was never going to see her again.

"Hey," he said, leaning over the ledge next to her.

"Hey," she answered without looking at him.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked, trying to make a conversation.

"What do you think?" she whispered. Nico opened his mouth to reply, but she held up a hand to stop him. "That was rhetorical, Nico. I'm obviously disturbed about Percy and Annabeth. Everyone here is, except for you."

Nico groaned, and Hazel looked at him. "What is it?"

"First of all, 'disturbed' is a weird way to put this situation. But don't take how I'm acting in the wrong manner. I've known Percy and Annabeth longer than anyone else here. They are two of my best friends… my only friends. If I could go back to that time and put me in their place, I'd do it."

"Don't say that," she told him sternly, tears coming into her eyes. "Percy and Annabeth are gone. How do you think I would feel if you…" She didn't have finish.

"Hazel, I don't plan on leaving you or the others anytime soon."

"I'm sure you thought the same thing before you got trapped in Tartarus."

Nico wasn't sure how to respond, because she was right. He changed the subject back to what it had previously been. "I wasn't lying when I said that Percy was the most powerful demigod I know. Anything that comes in his way should be scared out of its mind. I know I am sometimes. And when Percy and Annabeth are together, it's pretty scary. They're as great fighting partners as they are a couple. They'll be fine, there's no doubt about it."

"How can you say that?" asked Hazel miserably, wiping away her tears.

"Because I know them. They can do this. I know it."

"But what if you're wrong?" she mumbled. "I want to be optimistic, but what if something happens? What if Annabeth can't walk? What if they get hurt from the fall? Nico, you've been to Tartarus. What is going to happen to them?"

And it wasn't the first time that Nico didn't have an answer to any of those.

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**Sorry about how boring, OOC, and short it was. But I think the next chapter is going to have a bit of action and romance in it for all you PJO nerds!**

**I recently made a FanFiction email for you guys to contact me with. To reach it, just go to my profile. It should be on there highlighted in blue! Or you can PM me! Your choice!**

**Here's a little random question. What's the weirdest question someone's ever asked you? For me, it's when my Grandma asked me if a couple of her porcelain dolls turned me on... it was weird...**

**Reviews and ideas are loved! Nerdfist!**

**-BBH**


	3. Chapter 3: Annabeth

**Hey, everyone! Thanks for 100+ reviews! You guys are so awesome! Thanks again! This chapter has the action you guys have wanted, and Percabeth for you all. But I didn't want to do Percabeth over kill in this chapter. You'll have to wait until next time for more!**

**Sorry for typos and OOCness. If you don't like blood and gore, this chapter might not be for you. It's not too bad, but still, it's bloody! Hope you like!**

**Happy Reading!**

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Chapter 3

Annabeth

The impact hurt worse than her broken ankle.

Up until that moment, Annabeth had had her arms locked around her boyfriend Percy's neck. The pain in her ankle was unrelenting as debris bumped into it and they were thrown from one side of the pit to the other. Annabeth was looking at Percy's chest with tunnel vision. Her peripheral vision was completely back, and the only she could see was Percy.

Annabeth felt safe in the arms of her boyfriend, which was saying a lot, since Percy was usually the one to make something blow up or catch on fire.

After the fall had begun, Annabeth had blacked out immediately from nausea and the tenderness of tenderness of her wound. She hadn't been sure how much time had passed until she had woken up again to the sound of Percy's voice.

His words had been muffled and unclear, and Annabeth had been sure that if opened her mouth, the things that would come out would had definitely not been words. So she had nodded her head the best of her ability and stayed still.

It had been hard. Her entire body was screaming, but her mind was being logical. Screaming in a situation like that would not have been the good thing to do.

Annabeth remembered when Percy got hit with the asphalt. She could hear the crack when it happened. Knowing that he might let go at any second, Annabeth'd wrapped her arms around Percy. She couldn't afford to lose him after all they'd been through. Some stupid spider wasn't going to change that.

And then, Annabeth had heard the bone-chilling voice of Gaea, taunting Percy. Annabeth wanted to grab her knife and hunt down the earth goddess, but she'd remembered that her backpack, laptop, and bronze knife were gone, possibly forever.

Once Percy had been knocked out cold, Annabeth had been complete unsure of what to do. She hadn't been ready for a situation like this. If she were Jason or Frank, she could've flown to safety, but she wasn't, so wishing wasn't an option.

As they continued to fall, Annabeth felt that tug on her ankle stop, and a huge amount of pain just ceased. She let out a sigh of relief against Percy's chest, and tears of joy crept into her eyes. She blinked them away quickly, knowing that she would need to be able to see.

Then her heart stopped beating when she realized what was going to happen.

The only reason the pull on her leg had stopped was because the thing hold it down had stopped falling. Annabeth and Percy were the only things falling now, which meant that their impact was going to come pretty soon. How was she supposed to prepare for it?

Annabeth remembered something she'd read one time. A guy had been blown a fourth of a mile from his house because of a tornado, and since he'd been knocked out, he hadn't even broken a bone when he landed.

She tried to relax all of her muscles. She loosened the grip she had on Percy's neck, making a bit of space between them. Now that Percy was unconscious, maybe he'd be okay when he landed. His muscles wouldn't be trying to tighten and brace for the impact, and he would go with the flow.

A golden light of the pit shined brighter, kind of like that ghostly twilight before nightfall, when all of the shadows coat your face but illuminate it at the same time. They tumbled through the air flipping and turning, and then, Annabeth's head snapped to the left, and she saw the ground.

It was coming at her a little too fast.

She had seconds. She let all of her limbs loose, and then her back hit the ground.

Instantly, she and Percy were separated as she shrieked in agony. She bounced straight back up into the air, probably twenty feet up. A car slammed into her side, and her screams were cut short as she chocked on her own saliva.

Her back slammed into the ground again, and something cracked. She whimpered as she continued rolling down a hill. The sounds of crashing cement and bit a buildings and car invaded her ears, screeching loudly.

She couldn't even see Percy. She could barely see what was around her. She was sure that she had blood in her eyes. Her hands were cut up from trying to stop herself, and from thorns that scattered the ground. She wondered briefly why thorns would be woven into the ground, but that thought disappeared when she hit against something hard.

The pain was blinding. She couldn't even feel her ankle anymore, which maybe was a good thing. Maybe the ambrosia from earlier was finally mending the bone. She coughed up and gravel that had gotten into her lungs, but stopped short, so it sounded like she'd chocked. There was a pain near her lungs that was excruciating.

Her plan hadn't worked whatsoever. Now, she could only hope that Percy wasn't in the same situation.

_Come on, Annabeth_, she told herself. _Toughen up._

She grabbed at something behind her, and it felt like a car door. Very slowly, Annabeth pulled herself up to her good foot. Her splint had fallen apart during her crash landing, so she propped her foot up behind her.

She twisted to look at what was inside the crushed car, but she screamed and grabbed onto her side. It hurt so much.

Annabeth felt something warm and sticky where her fingers were and something really hard too. She brought them up to her face. They were a deep red. She was bleeding severely.

She glanced down at her side. A huge gash started at her chest and ended at her hip, and blood was just oozing out of it. She squinted in the dim light to see what was hard, and she saw something vaguely white but coated in blood sticking out of her skin a little bit.

It was one of her ribs. She'd fractured her rib, and it had popped out of place. It was protruding slightly from her skin.

Annabeth couldn't help it. She threw up next to the car. The wound was nasty and terrible, one of the worst she ever had. So now, not only had she broke her ankle, but her ribs were bruised, and one of them was broken.

"Okay, Annabeth," she hissed to herself. "What do I do now?" Every bit of information she'd gotten learning First Aid at camp seemed to be gone. She wanted to collapse on the ground and wait for someone to help her, but she didn't even know if Percy was awake.

What if he was dead?

"Nope!" She wouldn't believe that until she saw it. She looked inside the car for anything she could salvage. The smell of gasoline was rich. The keys were still in the ignition, so after a few failed attempts, she managed to snatch them out. There was also a Tinker Bell seat covered that was ripped up, but she yanked that out too. Perhaps later, she would check the car more for supplies, maybe a first aid kit, but now, she needed to sit.

She slid against the car door slowly until she reached the ground. She looked at the set of keys. They could be a weapon. Or… a knife.

She looked at her bad ankle again. The long string of silk was still attached to her ankle, even after the hard crash. She picked it up and cut began to cut it with the keys. It was stronger than she'd realized. It took almost five minutes, but she managed to cut it off.

Next she looked at the seat cover. It was stretchy and thin. Annabeth put it around her mid section twice, and yanked really hard. She bit her lip so hard that there was blood drawn. Then she tied it off, hoping that he makeshift bandage would work well enough to stop the blood flow a bit.

Annabeth's head felt fuzzy, and she had to keep blinking to see right. A nap suddenly felt like a really good idea.

"Where are you, daughter of Athena?" screeched a voice, like a thousand clicking insects.

Annabeth gulped. Apparently Arachne had survived the fall.

"You will not outsmart me this time," she hissed. Annabeth could hear the clanging of metal and the sounds of grass rustling. She knew that the Mother Spider was close.

What could Annabeth do? Fight with keys? That wouldn't get her that far. Arachne wouldn't be outsmarted again. Annabeth didn't have any tricks up her sleeve. She could barely think as it was. Annabeth got back to her feet as fast as she could. There wasn't any place for her to really hide. She saw a few cars here and there, and some huge chunks of buildings, but she wouldn't be able to get there in time.

Annabeth decided to climb into the car. She barely fit. The ceiling was crush down so much that the car was pretty much a pancake, but at least it provided some type of protection. She gripped the keys tightly in one hand, and with the other, she felt around the floor of the car.

Just as she had expected, there was a bunch of glass shards. She grabbed the biggest one and put it in her other hand.

She really wished that she had her bronze dagger. It comforted her in a way, since she had fought with it for so long. She knew how to fight with that, even though she was good with other weapons too. That was a perk to being the daughter of the goddess of battle.

Annabeth peered over the dashboard. She could see Arachne creeping closer, her eight legs scurrying, her eyes looking in every direction for her. The feelers in her mouth were snapping. "Where are you, my sweet?" she asked.

Annabeth's breath caught in her throat. She would just hide there until she had to fight. She couldn't run now without getting caught. She was trapped.

"I can see you, my dear," cackled the weaver. "Your blonde hair is sticking up all over the place. You stick out like a sore thumb." And this was yet another time that Annabeth wished she was a brunette.

She could hear Arachne coming closer. Annabeth dove out of the car and began to hop away from her. But she could only hop so fast, and her legs hurt terribly from the fall. And, just because it wasn't hard enough, she was hopping uphill.

Annabeth tested her bad foot by putting weight on it. It didn't hurt as much as it had before, however long ago 'before' had been, so she began to hobble on it. She hissed when her foot twisted and she stumbled, but she recovered as quickly as she could and carried on.

Once she was over the hill, she turned around. Arachne was closer than she had thought. Maybe she thought watching Annabeth trying to run was fun, so she was going slowly, trying to make the chase last longer.

Finally she heard Arachne huff. "This is boring me. Your death will please me much more, and then I will make a magnificent tapestry to remember the moment. It will take me a while to find the right colors and supplies, but I will do it."

And with that, the spider lunged.

Annabeth screamed and parried the first blow with the glass, and then slashed at the spider. It wasn't working out that well. Annabeth was no match for her. The spider wasn't even hurt from the fall, and Annabeth could barely stand up.

Annabeth tried to block the spider again, but she got a good at Annabeth arm, and she dropped the keys. Annabeth managed to hit the spider with her next jab, and Arachne screamed ancient curses, and flung Annabeth back ten feet. She landed hard on the back of her neck, but used that as a chance to flip over her shoulder and land on her feet. She coughed once, but then felt more blood leak out of her wounds.

Arachne came at her again, but Annabeth jumped out of the way and landed on her hands and knees. She knew this surge of adrenanline wasn't going to last much longer. She stabbed at the monsters neck, but her arms swept Annabeth back, and she stumbled. The spider was fired up now. She slashed at Annabeth faster than she could see, and two of the blows connected to her ribs, and she jumped back in pain.

She clutched her side involuntarily. The blood was beginning to leak through, and she was feeling woozy.

She couldn't take it anymore. She collapsed to her knees. She couldn't do it. Percy was probably dead, and Annabeth was alone and hurt. "I'm sorry I let you down, everyone," she mumbled.

Then there was the sound of screeching tires and a loud engine. Annabeth's head perked up, and Arachne turned around, looking to find the source to the noise.

A Fiat went air born over a hill so that Annabeth could only see the underbody of the car and not the driver. It wasn't completely crushed, but it was dented all over the place. It slammed straight into Arachne and sent her flying away from Annabeth. But the driver didn't stop at Annabeth. He or she kept driving to where Arachne was now laying, legs up in the air.

"What is this?!" she screamed, and they were her famous last words. The car ran right over her, and then back up and ran over her again.

Annabeth couldn't stand to watch. She adverted her eyes to the ground and tried to block out the horrible crying, screaming, and gurgling noises. She could hear the sound of bones being crushed and blood splattering the ground. It was disgusting.

After what seemed like forever, the crunching sounds stopped, and the car turned around and drove over to Annabeth and parked next to her. She could see monster dust, blood, and guts all over the wheels. The smell almost made her sick.

The Fiat's door opened. And out of it stepped Percy.

As far as Annabeth could tell, he was unharmed. There was a small cut on his forehead, and scrapes all over his body, but it looked like Annabeth's plan had worked for him. He was smiling down at her, but then his eyebrows creased when he saw her wounds.

Immediately, he knelt down next to her. "Oh gods," he mumbled. "What happened to you?"

"A hard fall," she answered, wincing as he applied more pressure to her wound. "Percy, we don't have time for this. We need to get out of here before any more monsters come after us."

Percy nodded and kissed her on the cheek. "As far as I know, this whole place goes on forever. Above us, there's only darkness, and the only source of light is coming from where we came. It's only a small glow too, and it'll fade away soon. The area is like some sort of sick meadow. There are thorns on the ground, and debris everywhere, and it goes on for miles."

"Great," murmured Annabeth.

"Yeah, it's just great," groaned Percy.

He insisted on helping Annabeth get to the car. Once he made sure she had her seatbelt on, he got in too.

"Where are we going?" Annabeth asked.

"No idea," answered Percy. He smiled like the annoying Seaweed Brain he was. "I wasn't planning on coming to Tartarus, but if I had been, I would've made sure to go on Google Maps first to get directions."

"Shut up," chuckled Annabeth, but she regretted doing that. The movement of her shoulders when she laughed hurt.

"Right now, let's just get out of here and find someplace to take care of you." He leaned across the console and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. "You will not get hurt on my watch, remember that. I'm going to take care of you, and those monsters are going to wish they'd never touched you."

Percy turned the key, and the car roared to life. He turned the headlights on, and Annabeth could see the trail of blood in front of the car. She gulped, and wondered what her friends were doing, and what time it was. It was hard to tell time when there was no sun, and the car's clock had been broken.

She already missed the sun. She didn't know when she would see the sun again, or if she actually _would_ ever see the sun again.

And then they were off, driving a Fiat through the endless world of evil.

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**I hope this made up for the previous two chapters! It was 3000+ words! Remember to email me. My contact is on my profile! Oh, take the poll on my profile! I really want to see how the results vary!**

**I will update next on my birthday. Here's a hint of when it is: It's the same as the rapper Drake and PewDiePie:)**

**Reviews and ideas are loved! Thanks for reading!**

**-BBH**


	4. Chapter 4: Jason

**Happy 13th Birthday to ME! My day has been pretty awesome so far. My mom got me Edible Arangments! And i got a lot of Barnes and Noble and iTunes money! Plu****s, by Band Class performed Happy Birthday to me! Here's a shout out to my friends reading this: Thank you all so much for being so wonderful! **

**So Jason is the final point of view! His POV is the hardest for me, so please don't get mad if this is bad! I'm just watching Practical Magic right now (great movie) and doing more homework. I know, homework is gross...**

**Sorry for typos and OOCness. **

**Happy Reading!**

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Chapter 4

Jason

"And the monsters of the Mare Nostrum strike again," murmured Jason as he readied his sword.

He was exhausted. Utterly and completely fatigued. His body ached from the fight against the twin giants, and he still couldn't believe that Percy and Annabeth were gone.

He should've done more to save them. Even though the others said that he would've been sucked down too, he still could've tried. He was good at flying; maybe he could have dragged them out into a safer zone. I wish Coach Hedge would just give him a smack on the head for being an idiot.

Jason half blamed the statue. The Athena Parthenos stood tall on the deck of the Argo II. Athena's eyes seemed to bore into Jason's every time he looked at it, as if saying, _Stupid Rome. Stupid Praetor. Stay out of my way before I kill you. _

Jason knew that if statues could kill, this would be the one to stay away from. But then again, Terminus helped Percy kill Polybotes, so if Terminus could do that then who knows what the Athena Parthenos could do.

But if this Athena statue could do anything, it certainly wasn't helping them while they were being attacked by the Loch Ness Monster.

Okay, so maybe it wasn't the Loch Ness Monster, but it looked enough like it. It stood 50 feet out of the water, and Jason guessed that was only half of it. It's long, elaborate fins stuck out of the water behind it. The monster was teal blue and dark green, but the huge dorsal fin was purple and red.

Jason could see rows of razor sharp teeth in its mouth. It snapped and snarled at them, spewing water and acid from mouth and nostrils. It had about five tongues, one in its mouth, and two on each side of its neck. It looked like a mixture of some crazy dinosaur, a sea monster, and a hydra on steroids.

Jason decided to name it Nessie.

"Where's Percy when you need him?" grumbled Hazel, swinging her cavalry sword at one of the tongues as it came near her head. It darted just out of reach.

Jason felt a pang of jealousy, which he wasn't used to. Ever since he had heard of Percy, this feeling was becoming more and more consistent. At Camp Half-Blood, he was all everyone ever talked about. And once he had arrived at Camp Jupiter, all of his old friends were sticking with Percy, as if Jason were nothing anymore.

And Percy didn't even act like he was all that. He and Jason had been great fighting partners against the giants, but Jason couldn't quit remembering when he and Percy had tried to kill each other. It had been sick, but since then, Jason had kept wondering who the stronger demigod was.

Even Nico had said Percy was the most powerful demigod he knew. Jason had seen Percy in action, and he knew that he was super tough, but Jason kept thinking, _What else can he do?_

Jason absolutely hated the feeling. Especially since they were friends.

And then there was Nico. Nico frankly scared Jason a little bit. He couldn't completely trust the guy. He had been ling to both Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter for months about Jason and Percy.

But Jason wasn't going to trouble the kid now. He could see the haunted look in his eyes. Tartarus must've been really terrible. Now, Jason could only hope that Annabeth and Percy would survive. There was nothing he could do.

He hated the feeling of uselessness even more than jealousy.

Jason lunged to the side as one of the samurai tongues shot at him. He vaulted over it and slashed down, but he missed by a fraction of an inch. He cursed as he landed.

He glanced to the right. Piper was fighting with Katoptris instead of the horn of plenty. Apparently Hedge had given it back to her. It was good that she was fighting with it again, because Jason wasn't sure how the horn would come in handy in this situation. And charmspeak probably wouldn't do a thing.

Next to Piper was Frank, who had turned into cheetah. He was scratching and lunging at the monster anytime it came within reach.

Jason could hear Coach Hedge behind him. "You want some of this? I'll give you some of this. This goat is ma-aa-d!"

To his left, Hazel was still attacking in monsters, trying her best to hold two of the tongues at once. They slashed and cut at her, but she was doing a good job at holding them off. But like everyone else, when she tried to cut one of the off, she came too short.

Nico was fighting with his black iron sword. Jason remembered Nico from camp, and Nico had never been part of the camp games, so this was the first time Jason had seen him fight, and truth be told, he was better than Jason had expected.

For a fraction of a second, Jason was about to look around to try and find Percy and Annabeth. He shook his head and kept trying to hold off the monsters lunging head.

So where was Leo?

Jason hadn't seen Leo since he had gone down to the engine room about two hours ago, holding the Archimedes Sphere in both of his hands. "I want to learn more about how this works," he'd told them, his eye giddy with excitement. Jason had been afraid that he was going to light something on fire if he kept talking to him, he Jason had let him go on.

Jason assumed he was still down there, but he wished that Leo would just lose the Sphere for a few minutes and help them fight off the monster, but he couldn't just run down there and ask him, now could he?

He jumped up as the monster spit acid at his feet. The deck melted a little bit where the acid was, creating a hole. Jason side stepped the hole and switched his sword to his other hand for a minute.

They needed a plan, and Jason was fresh out of them.

Jason yelled a raised his sword into the air. A storm cloud formed above him and lightning streaked out of the sky. His friends hit the deck as an instinct. The lightning hit the sword and reflected off of it, hitting Nessie in one of its big blue eyes.

The monster shrieked a reeled back in pain. The tongues came closer to the body as it convulsed and spewed acid everywhere. The others rolled away and hid behind the mast until Nessie disappeared below the surface of the water. Then they got up and gazed over the railing like Jason, watching the water bubble below them.

Jason felt a little bit triumphant. At least he had done something right.

But that feeling went away when he saw the sea monsters head pop out of the water. It shrieked in rage into the air, and then focused its eyes right on Jason. He gulped. And Nessie lunged.

Jason probably would've been dinner if Hazel hadn't tackled him. Nessie's head sailed right over him, and then she pulled back and started flicking her razor sharp tongues at them again.

"Watch out, Jason," informed Hazel. He nodded. He couldn't afford to die now.

"I got this, you guys!" screamed a voice from below deck. That was Leo. He was fine, and he'd finally realized that they were in trouble.

"Glad you could join us," yelled Piper angrily, slashing at the tongue.

"Yeah, quit your complaining," he yelled back. He came out holding the Archimedes Sphere in both hands. He just never seemed to get rid of that thing now.

"Can you drop the ball?" asked Nico. "We really don't have time for science experiments." Frank glared at him in his cheetah form, and for a second, Jason was afraid Frank was going to forget about Nessie and attack Leo instead.

"It's not a science experiment!" Leo protested as he pressed buttons on the side of the sphere. "This thing is going to save your ungrateful butts."

He held the thing out in front of him and screamed, "TEAM LEO FOR THE WIN!" The sphere began to glow a dull blue color. Tiny legs sprouted from the equator, and the ball held itself up.

Like a Rubik's Cube, it shift and turned into a new pattern of ancient words and symbols that Jason couldn't understand. They turned until they were set up in a certain code. Or, Jason guessed that's what it was.

A ray of light shot out of the sphere and hit the monster in the neck. The monster shook, waving its head around in pain.

"What are you doing?" screamed Frank, who had turned back into a human.

"Just wait for it!" Leo ordered, smiling at the sphere. The beam was still coming out of it and still hitting Nessie. Jason couldn't see the effects. But then, the monster began to shrink rapidly.

How this ancient invention could shoot shrink rays out of it, Jason had no idea. But he wasn't about to complain.

"Get out of the way!" Leo yelled suddenly, sprinting forward in front of them, his hands cupped. The monster was so small now, only a forth of the size it had once been, and it was still shrinking.

None of them moved, they just watched in amazement. Soon enough, the Loch Ness Monster was was only the size of a person, and it was frozen in midair.

"Jason!" Leo yelled. "Turn it off!"

"What? How?"

"There was finger holds on the sides. Fit your hands into it and push down until you hear a click. Hurry!"

Jason ran to the Archimedes Sphere, dodging the ray and going behind it. He put his hands on either side. To his surprise, Leo was right; there were places to put his hands. He put his hands on it and pushed as hard as he could, and the ray shut off almost immediately.

Jason looked up to see Leo catch Nessie in his hands, since it was only the size of a toy dinosaur. Leo laughed. "I think I'm going to keep it as a pet!" he announced.

They were all so mad at Leo, but they couldn't help but smile. "How'd you know how to do this?" asked Jason, holding the ball and staring at it.

"I've been trying to decipher the codes for a few hours," Leo said. "This thing might be the key to defeating Gaea. I only just realized it was a shrink ray, and that's only from one of the codes. You can probably make things grow too! I got to study it more."

"Well, I was going to scream a little bit, but I have to say, good job," Piper told him, smiling a bit.

"Why, thank you, Beauty Queen. Also, I was just thinking, what if we shrunk the Athena Parthenos?"

"What?" everyone asked at the same time.

"Hey, don't gang up on me. I'm just saying, when we go to Epirus, we can't just carry a giant statue with us! So why don't we shrink it and then make it bigger when we need it again?"

Jason looked around at the others. They looked uneasy, but Jason thought it sounded okay. He shrugged. "Give it a go."

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**I wasn't proud of the chapter, so I'm sorry. I'm so busy, and I tried my best. Give me a break, it's my birthday!**

**I'm pleased to announce that I've started an account with the awesome author, ChildOfWisdom. We'll be posting our first story, The Asylum (Percy Jackson based) on Saturday! Our new account is CodeName-Athena! Please check it out and follow us! You can go to my profile and go to my favorite authors; CodeName-Athena is saved under there!**

**Reviews and ideas are loved! Do you think we could get to 200 reviews? Maybe? Thank you, my sexy beasts!**

**-BBH**


	5. Chapter 5: Percy

**Thanks for the amazing reviews! Go take the poll on my profile please... I really need answers to it! I hope everyone who was hit by Hurricane Sandy is okay. I was hit by it last Saturday, but we're so used to hurricanes that a bunch of my teachers and friends went surfing during the storm. But nonetheless, I hope everyone that was hit hard is okay. **

**Sorry about typos and OOCness. Hope you enjoy!**

**Happy Reading!**

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Chapter 5

Percy

Who knew you got radio reception in Tartarus?

Percy had been experimenting with the buttons on the consol of the car and accidently pressed the power button on the radio. Immediately, the car started blasting some song called Paralyzer (it was weird that they played the lyrics in English instead of Italian). It was so loud that Annabeth started screaming at Percy to turn it down, which he obviously did since she needed to sleep.

Once Annabeth was asleep again, Percy reached over and opened up the glove box. Thankfully, the car actually did have a First Aid kit, so Percy snatched that out of there and closed it. He didn't even need to watch where he was driving, because there was nothing in his way.

Tartarus was a barren land with black soil and many hills. There were no monsters roaming the land, and the light was disappearing rapidly. It was only a glow in the distance now, like a setting sun. For miles and miles, Percy could only see the same thing, which was nothing. There was no wall encasing them, no giant boulders, and no creepy gods glaring down at them.

Percy turned on the headlights so that he could see the nothing in front of him. After a few more minutes of alternative music (including Green Day and The Black Keys) and driving, he stopped the car. They were a ways away from where they had landed, so everything should've been safe… or safer than it had been.

He didn't like giving himself unnecessary headaches, but Percy wondered what happened when you killed a monster in Tartarus. Was Arachne really gone, or was she just hidden in some other part of the Underworld?

And where were all of the other monsters and people and Titans? What if Kronos was down here?

Percy stepped out of the car and went to Annabeth's side. The blood had slowed down a lot from what he could tell, and it was starting to clump up and scab. There was a cut on her cheek that ran from her hairline to her jaw. Her clothes were torn and her splint was gone.

Percy never took a First Aid class at camp; he'd only learned the basics (As in, put on a band-aid). He didn't think it was necessary. Just a little bit of nectar and bada-bing, bada-boom, he'd be good to go. Okay, maybe not like that, but something along those lines. And with the curse of Achilles, nothing could've really hurt him. Perhaps emotionally, but not physically.

Another reason to hate Hera…

Percy pushed the thought from his mind. Once Annabeth was well again, they could throw darts at the goddess.

Annabeth's face was a deep red color, like she was struggling to keep breathing. Sweat was beaded across her forehead.

Percy opened up the kit and studied the contents. There was white gauze, rubbing alcohol, medical tape, antibiotic cream, Spiderman band-aids, one of those fake-ice packs, and a bottle of Germ-X.

Percy took out the white gauze and unwrapped the seat cover from Annabeth's torso. She was still out cold. He could barely stand to look at the wound. Bile rose in his throat, but he swallowed it back down and wrapped the gauze around her as tight as he could. Annabeth hissed in her sleep.

He tied it off and rubbed some cream on the gash on her face. Her eyes fluttered open. "Percy?" she asked quietly, her voice hoarse.

"I'm here," he told her as he broke the ice pack. It turned cold in his hands. He set it on top of her forehead.

She began to protest, but then she relaxed back into her seat. "Okay, that feels nice," she admitted.

Percy chuckled inside, because he knew Annabeth would pop him in the mouth if he showed her the laughter.

"So," Percy started after a long moment of silence. "What's our plan?"

Annabeth gave him an incredulous look. "Our plan? You're asking me?"

"Well, you are the daughter of Athena," he pointed out.

"Oh yeah, such an honor!" She rolled her eyes. "The plan is to stay alive down in this hellhole. And apparently, we have to go meet Nico at the opposite side of the Doors of Death, if I heard correctly."

Percy nodded. "Do you have any idea where to go?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Are you going to make the girl with the rib poking through her skin drive?"

"No, no, I'm just saying-"

"Gods, Percy, you worry too much sometimes. I'll give you directions while you drive."

"No, Annabeth, you should rest. Wait, you don't have that old shield you made, do you?" Percy really liked that shield. It could show a map of where they were and where they needed to go. It had been a big help during the Titan War and some of the other quests they'd been on.

She shook her head no. "And to add to the depressing matter, my knife and laptop and all of that good stuff are gone."

Percy nodded. He had looked for them a little bit before finding the Fiat. Once he had regained consciousness after the fall, he'd immediately started looking for Annabeth. Remembering from the before the fall that she hadn't had her backpack anymore, he'd also searched for it too.

But then he'd seen the silver lining. A Fiat from the parking center that'd collapsed, completely fine and ready to be driven.

Well, not completely fine. Pieces of it were hanging everywhere. The windows on the left side were all smashed, and there was a long crack through the windshield. With dents everywhere, it wasn't in the best of shape.

Yet when Percy had gotten inside and turned the key (still in the ignition), it had roared to life, like saying, "I'm only alive for you, ungrateful demigods."

"Well, let's get a move on. The sooner we find these doors, the sooner we see the Argo II and the others."

"The sooner we find the doors, the sooner we fight Gaea," added Percy. "We need to get out of here in less than a month, or else we'll stand no chance."

"Thanks, Sergeant Sunshine, for making that clear," Annabeth said sarcastically.

"That's what I'm here for." Percy kissed Annabeth and then hopped in the car and turned it back on.

Percy soon learned that a black plain of nothing really helped people with ADHD. There was nothing to distract him except for the radio and Annabeth. But Annabeth had changed the station to classical or something (yawn), and then had fallen asleep once more, so Percy was alone to clear his thoughts.

But he had none. The only two things he was thinking were "Get Annabeth proper medical help or some nectar," and "It's so freaking dark!"

If the monster hadn't attacked Percy, he probably would have fallen asleep from boredom.

Percy heard the flapping before anything else. At first, it was so loud and awkward sounding that he thought there was an airplane flying over them. He even checked the sky roof to see if anything was above them, which didn't help since there were no lights.

He brushed it off. It wasn't like he'd ever been here before. Maybe that sound was common in Tartarus. But still, Percy couldn't shake off the feeling that they were being watched.

A few minutes later and the sound got even louder. There was nothing in front of him, but the lights only let him see about twenty yards in front of the car. All of the light from the sky was completely gone.

They were in perpetual nighttime. And Percy didn't like the feeling of it.

And then- WHAM!

He nearly had heart attack. Something large slammed into the windshield with Category 5 power. The crack got bigger. Percy's head slammed back into the seat, and Annabeth jerked awake with a scream. Her gray eyes were startled and frighten.

Percy tried to regain control of the car. The car was swerving around, and Percy didn't want to even think of what would happen if the car flipped.

A giant winged creature was slammed sideways against car and wasn't moving. The feathers were going out of either side of the car.

"BRAKE! BRAKE!" Annabeth screamed, but Percy was just staring at the brakes thing, _Why aren't you stopping?_

Finally, Percy realized that they weren't going to brake if his foot was still on the gas at 80 miles per hour. He jammed his other foot down on the brake, and they came to a screeching halt. Annabeth and Percy both were thrown forward. It was a miracle that the airbags didn't go off.

Percy jumped out of the car and brought out Riptide, which casted off a glow. He ran to the front of the car and faced the predator.

He heart dropped. The creature rolled off the hood of the car and crumpled to the ground in a bloody heap. The creature had a black coat and black feathers. It was a Pegasus that was spitting image of Blackjack.

Percy stood still. He wasn't sure whether to attack the Pegasus or flee while it was hurt.

He cleared his throat. "Uh, hello there. What're you doing in Tartarus?" He got more courage from speaking, so he stepped forward. The creature whined very softly.

Apparently, the winged horse wasn't as hurt as it seemed to be. Once Percy was in arms reach, his head snapped up and he lunged for Percy's hand with his teeth. He narrowly escaped getting his hand bit off.

_Idiot mortal, your death will come soon enough_, hissed the Pegasus. But it wasn't in the right voice. The voice was Gaea's. _Nothing can hold us back. You and the girl will help me rise._

Percy bit down his anger. Gaea had possessed a wild Pegasus in attempt to kill them. "We'll never do anything to help you."

_It's only a matter of time before you do something stupid that costs your life. And the sooner you and the girl give yourselves up, the less people and creatures will die in your wake._

And then his head fell back to ground, blood leaking from his wounds. He shuddered and jerked on the ground, until it became completely still. Percy held his breath and waited for any sign of life.

The creature didn't make another threat.

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**The bands/songs that I listed are some of my favorites. You guys are gonna learn that music really influences my work. Sorry it was short!**

**HEY! HEY YOU! Yes, YOU! The one reading this story! Listen up! I have a new account that I share with the amazing author, ChildOfWisdom. This new account is called: CodeName-Athena. Our first story called the Asylum is up! It is PJO based and is a Romance/Horror Percabeth story! So you, YES YOU, should go check it out!**

**I got my email on my profile. So you guys can maybe email me if you want to! Hey, how was you're Halloween? I locked the doors and turned off the lights because I didn't want anyone coming to my house for candy (I had none XD)**

**Reviews and ideas are loved! You all are so amazing! **

**-BBH**


	6. Chapter 6: Nico

**Hey, you sexy beasts! Thanks for the reviews. I will probably update once every week, just so some of you will know.**

**Sorry of typos and OOCness!**

**Happy Reading!**

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Chapter 6

Nico

Sleep was the best medicine, right? Wrong.

After the fight against Nessie, Leo had tried to shrink the Athena Parthenos, and surprisingly, he'd succeeded. Now, the giant statue looked more like a Mythomagic action figure. Leo had picked it up only by its head, positive that it was going to blow him up if anything went wrong.

Now, the Athena Parthenos was with Leo 24/7, never leaving his sight. Nico had even caught Leo going to the bathroom with Nessie crawling on his head, the statue between his fingers, and the Archimedes Sphere at his feet like a soccer ball.

Nico, like the others, was exhausted from the fight, but he didn't want to go to sleep. Since he had nearly died from asphyxiation in his deep sleep, while being trapped in an overly large jar, he had promised himself that he would never sleep again.

So he went to his room, sat down on his bed, and stared at the wall.

For one entire hour.

After 65 minutes had passed, there was a knock on his door. Hazel popped her head inside. Half of her curly hair was frizzed up in the air, while the other side was straight and flat. She yawned. "Hey, have you slept any?"

"Yeah," Nico lied. He hated lying to her, but he didn't want her to worry.

Hazel glared at him. "I know your lying."

Nico rolled his eyes and groaned. "Fine, I'll go to sleep. What time is it?"

"About eight, and everyone else is already asleep except for Leo."

"Why don't you go annoy him, then?"

"Because I care more about you, and I was getting ready to go to him right after I made sure you were asleep, which you aren't!" She left without another word.

Nico threw his hands into the air and fell back onto the bed. He rubbed his face. Sometimes that girl was so annoying for her age. But Nico reckoned he could be just as annoying at time. He just wasn't the kind of person to show it.

Before Nico knew it, he'd fallen asleep.

That's when the dreams started.

At first, Nico was five years old, walking down the street holding his mother's hand. Bianca was skipping ahead of them in a skirt. Her hair tumbled down her shoulders, and her smile was wide. Nico wanted to cry. His sister had been so beautiful.

"Slow down, Bianca _tesoro," _Mother told her, her Italian accent thick. Bianca stopped skipping and waited for them to catch up. Maria di Angelo walked up to her and brushed some hair off of her forehead.

"You're all sweaty now," their mother complained. Bianca huffed, clearly annoyed, and Nico stifled a laugh.

His mom eyed him. "So you think that's funny?" Nico zipped his lips, trying to think about dead puppies, but his mother had already seen him. She bent down and started tickling him on the stomach. Nico was soon in a fit of giggles, and Bianca was laughing right alongside him.

Nico tumbled out of his mothers grasp and ran away. Bianca was next to him, shouting with pure glee. Their mother's laugh could be heard from thirty feet away.

When Nico turned around, Maria was smiling and fast walking after them. It wasn't ladylike to run down the streets. She clutched her bag in both hands and shook her head back and forth.

"Come on, Nico!" Bianca said, and he took off again.

The dream changed, and Nico was back as his thirteen almost fourteen self. This time, he was standing near a wrought iron gate, twenty feet tall and the deepest black imaginable.

The ceiling of the room he was in was so high that it seemed like they were under the nighttime sky. But Nico knew better. He had been here in his dreams before.

The House of Hades.

It never changed. Torches lined the walls, and Greek fire illuminated the walls green. Nico shivered in his shade form.

Nico knew that once he past the gates, there would be no return. Or that's what he guessed. Also written in iron at the top of the gate, the words _Porta Nouita __R__editum_ hung. It was Latin for Gate of No Return.

Ominous, but intriguing. The worst kind of thing for a demigod to find.

Somewhere beyond that Gate were the Doors of Death, and beyond that were Percy and Annabeth. Nico's hand fumbled with the lock on the gate, to which there was no key. And there was no way they could even climb over it. Maybe once they arrived, Jason could fly them over.

A deep voice chuckled throughout the cavern, a voice that Nico had never heard before. It rumbled and shook the ground so much that he was brought to his knees. It was like an earthquake was occurring.

Nico immediately jumped to the conclusion that it was Gaea. But the voice… it had been male.

It was another giant that they would have to take care of, but Nico had no clue who it was or what he could do. And this giant was inside the Gate of No Return, guarding the Doors of Death.

The cavern seemed to drop in temperature, and Nico watch his breath some out in big white puffs.

The ground shook again, and Nico stood on wobbly knees. He looked around, but he was the only soul in the room.

When he looked at the ceiling, it began to change color. A light erupted like the midnight sun, and coated the roof. Pictures formed. Nico saw the glowing blade of Riptide, the bright lights of a car, and most of all-blood.

The camera or whatever seemed to zoom in on the pools of blood on the ground. Then it moved up and showed a white faced terror-stricken Annabeth in the passenger seat of the car. She was in pain, obviously, and Nico would've bet his life that the pools of blood at come from her wounds.

But the camera didn't show any sign of Percy. Not a hint or a trace of the son of Poseidon. That wasn't good.

He heard the neigh of a horse, and then the hissing, sleepy voice of Gaea. _Will die in your wake_, she was saying.

The camera focused on Percy finally. He was staring down at a Pegasus in horror.

And then Nico woke up, cold sweat on his back. He blinked a few times and tried to clear his mind.

There was a knock on his door that scared him so much that he jumped to his feet while standing on the bed. He hit the ceiling.

Jason was staring at him, clearly tired. "Hey dude. I don't mean to wake you, but I've been guarding the ship since Leo went to sleep. Do you think you could take over for a little while?"

Nico jumped down and pretended it had never happened. "Yeah, sure. I can't sleep now anyway." He thought about telling Jason his dream. Annabeth would have been a better person to go to, since she would've known exactly what to do and who the giant was, but Jason was cool too.

But he couldn't. There was something about the way Jason looked at Nico that confused him. It was a look of distrust, like Jason thought Nico was spying the giants or Gaea. It aggravated him, but he didn't ask Jason why or why not. He would wait until the guy actually had the nerve to tell him that to his face.

He came to the conclusion that he would tell everyone at the same time once they were awake.

Jason's shoulders fell with relief. "Oh, thank the gods. I thought you were going to say no for a minute."

"Why would you think that?" grumbled Nico defensively.

"Um, no reason," Jason answered, and then he left Nico by himself.

Nico shrugged on his aviator jacket and stumbled out onto the deck. Stars were still out in the sky. It was really early morning.

He walked across the deck and slumped against the mast. More than anything, Nico wanted to be back at one of the camps, on dry land in a place he knew. He wanted his sword back with him. He wanted someone that he'd known longer than Jason or Hazel.

He needed Percy and Annabeth.

Running a hand through his dark hair, he thought back to when Percy, Annabeth, Thalia, and Grover had rescued him and his sister so long ago that it seemed as if it had never even happened.

He remembered the Titan War, and how he had betrayed Percy to get information about Maria.

Nico wouldn't let down these five demigods like he had let down so many others. He just wouldn't do something like that again.

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**Sorry about the fact that it was short. I wanted to have some of Nico's inner thoughts and whatnot so you guys could understand how I'm portraying him.**

**So, a few little things. 1. Check out my other account with ChildOfWisdom, CodeName-Athena! 2. I just posted two new stories. One for the book, The Fault In Our Stars by John Green. The other for the popular horror game, SLENDER! Check them out. 3. You guys who've known me for a while have been wondering about my ankle. Thanks for asking! I get my cast off tomorrow! No sports for another month though:( and 4. Thank for getting my Mark of Athena 300 favs and 2800 reviews!**

**Reviews and ideas are loved!**

**-BBH**


	7. Chapter 7: Annabeth

**Thanks for the 300+ reviews! You guys are so cool! **

**Sorry for Typos, OOCness, and Shortness!**

**Happy Reading!**

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Chapter 7

Annabeth

Annabeth trusted Percy with a lot of things. She definitely trusted him with her life and protecting the both of them until she could get her stupid everything healed.

Driving? Not so much. Driving when he was terrified, angry, and scarred? Not at all.

Percy had driven Annabeth around on plenty of occasions. None of them had been particularly pleasant. When they had just started going out, Percy always insisted on driving them places if walking wasn't an option. Once, Percy had almost wrecked Paul's_ new_ Prius by pulling out into traffic at the wrong time.

Another time, they had been going to Coney Island, and while they were driving, Percy looked off the road and verged onto the opposite lane. With a scream, Annabeth had lunged across the consol and grabbed the wheel, safely steering them back onto their lane before any cars played whack-the-demigods with them

This time was another one of those cases.

Annabeth had seen everything at had happened from afar. She remembered the Pegasus hitting their car. And the voice of Gaea taunting both of them. And the Pegasus dying right in front of Percy.

It was like some type of terrible joke. Annabeth didn't say it aloud, but she knew that Gaea had possessed the Pegasus because it was a sacred animal of Poseidon. She wasn't sure if Percy had realized that, but he was grieving too much for her to say anything.

Anything that was in their way, Percy was seemingly required to hit it. He took his anger out on everything. The normal, stupid Seaweed Brain Percy had been left behind with the dead winged horse, and the fuming, no nonsense Percy had appeared. Annabeth rarely ever saw this side of Percy; no one really ever saw it. But this was just one of those times.

Percy was hardly paying attention anymore to where he was driving. The radio was off, and Annabeth was still in incredible pain. She winced ever so slightly so that Percy wouldn't notice.

He noticed.

"Is it still irritating you?"

_Well, that's a stupid question_! Annabeth wanted to scream at him. Of course it was still irritating him. But she bit her tongue. "Just a little bit," she answered, lightly pressing her right hand to her side and took his hand with her left.

He groaned. "We need to find some place to get medical attention." He was looking at her now, not even bothering to look at the road. "Maybe there are some friendly people that somehow got stuck down here in Tartarus that would be willing to help us." It was wishful thinking, but Annabeth smiled. They could only hope now.

Annabeth looked at the road, and gasped. "What?" asked Percy, still looking at her.

Annabeth pointed at the road, unable to form words from the momentary shock. Then she yelped, "BREAK!"

Still not bothering to look ahead, Percy slammed down on the breaks, and they stopped.

"What's going- Holy Poseidon!" he said in disbelief.

The barren wasteland and merged into a thriving jungle.

Large leafed, hundred foot tall trees made an entrance. On the floor of the jungle, they were spaced apart. Near the roof of the forest, vines and plants made a giant canopy of no color. That wasn't right. Plants were supposed to be colorful and thriving. But these plants and trees were dark and rid of color, and not just because of the nighttime sky.

Annabeth realized she was mistaken. It was not thriving. It wasn't a normal rain forest. "It's all dead," whispered Percy.

And he was most certainly right. It was all dead. Most of the plants were brown, burned and shriveled. It was as if a giant raging fire had blown through the forest and killed all forms of light. It was so quiet.

"But this isn't right," Percy protested. He looked at her. "Annabeth, I can feel the water inside of there, in the roots of those trees. They should alive!" He shook his head back and forth like he wanted it to fall off. "No, no, this is so wrong!"

Annabeth caught his head in her hands. "Listen to me. Trying to shake your head until there's nothing left does not solve any of our problems. We'll get out and investigate what the problem is, and maybe you can fix it somehow."

"You're making us sound like superheroes. We're hardly superheroes. We're more like the ADHD sidekicks."

She rolled her eyes. "Let's just get out of the car and see what the problem is."

Percy set his hand down on her arms, maybe to restrain her. "Annabeth, you shouldn't-"

"What? Walk? Please, Percy. The damage has been done, and I refuse to sit in the car and let you do all of the work. We're doing this together whether you like it or not." It probably was best for her to stay in the car, but it was getting pretty old. Her butt was asleep, and she didn't even know that could happen. (Yes, you heard it here first. _She_ didn't know.)

Percy didn't try to stop her this time, which was good, because even though she didn't have any weapons with her, she was 99.9 percent sure she could still take him out if needed.

Percy cut the car off but left the keys in the ignition. Annabeth popped open her door and stepped down on both of her feet. There was a dull throb in her ankle, and her heel felt like it was on pins and needles. She was still able to stand up without too much pain, even though most of her weight was on her good leg.

Walking was a whole different subject. The moment she tried to step down on her ankle, she screamed silently and fell to her knees. Percy rushed to her side. "Are you okay?" he asked immediately, trying to help her up.

She shrugged him away. "Yeah, I'm fine. It's just a little hard." _And painful_, she felt like adding, but zipped her lips.

Percy snapped his finger. "I know just what to do!" He rushed off into the dead forest and left Annabeth on her hands and knees.

Even though it was really hard, she managed to stand back up and hop to her seat in the car. She could feel a rush of blood escaping her side. Her breath hitched, and she began to sweat again. She searched the floor of the car for that ice pack. When she found it, it was warm, soupy water. She threw it back down in disgust.

About ten minutes later, Percy returned with a goofy smile on his face. He was holding something behind his back. "What's that?" Annabeth asked.

"Say the magic word," Percy said.

"Give it here, Seaweed Brain."

"Your wish is my command, Wise Girl." He pulled the object out from behind his back. "Happy Birthday."

Before her was a pair of crutches, much better than the ones she'd made before, but they barely resembled normal crutches. They were made from some of the dead wood and for her height. There were places to put her hands for support, and for something by Percy, they were pretty sturdy and didn't break when she used them. Kissing him on the lips, she smiled. "It's not my birthday," was her only comment.

"Well, I know that. But I missed you birthday while I was comatose, so I thought I make it up to you now!" He kissed her back, and for that short second, Annabeth was back on the Argo II in the stables with him.

She pulled away. "Yeah, crutches. Just what a girl wants."

"Don't mock me," he chuckled. "When we get out of here, I promise I'll get you a real present, something that's really good."

"Okay then." Annabeth began to crutch her way alongside Percy into the forest.

A smell like rotting meat mixed with spoiled milk filled up Annabeth. She stopped where she was and gagged. She could see that Percy was doing the same thing.

"What is that?" choked Percy, plugging his nose.

Annabeth pointed her finger. "That." There was a dead vulture like creature on the ground, and flies were crawling all over it. It had obviously been rotting here for a few days.

Annabeth and Percy went away from the vulture. To her surprise, the deeper they went in the jungle the brighter it got. The foliage above them got thicker, and soon enough, Annabeth and Percy could not even see the car.

The light was actually coming from the trees. They had a million little suns on them, glowing in a blue-ish color. "This is like a scene from _Avatar,_" Annabeth muttered to herself. She laid her down on the tree and yanked it back immediately. "OUCH!"

"What?"

"It burned me!" The trunks were scorching hot. To add to Annabeth's list of medical problems, she now had blisters on her hands.

Percy's green eyes widened, and he put his hands against the tree. "PERCY? What in the world are you doing?" demanded Annabeth, flicking Percy's forehead.

"Quit that," said Percy. "Just watch. I know what I'm doing." Clearly, it was hurting him too. It was written all over his face. But he only grimaced. He didn't yank back. And then a little grin appeared on his face.

Keeping one hand in his pocket, Percy took out Riptide, uncapped it, and began cutting at the tree. He was making a small little hole. Annabeth finally realized what he was doing. "That's clever," she told him. She grabbed a large leaf from one of the dead plants and positioned it underneath the whole.

Percy closed his eyes and furrowed his brow with concentration. Then a little river of water began to pour out of the tree and onto the leaf.

It was a piercing blue and beautiful, obviously okay to drink form. Annabeth dipped her finger in the water. It was so cold, like it had been frozen.

Percy withdrew his hand, rubbing it. It was super red, but he didn't seem to care. "And now we have water to drink." He tilted it for Annabeth to drink, and it tasted divine. Once she was satisfied, Percy had some for himself.

"Well, we know a few things now," Percy said. "One, we have water that I can use to attack people. Two, it's fresh for us to drink. Which means: SURVIVAL! Booyah!"

"That's right!" Annabeth wanted to jump up with excitement. "Why don't we rest for the night- or whatever time it is?"

"That sounds great to me. Do you want to go back to the car?"

"Nah, here's fine," Annabeth said. She slumped against the tree and patted the ground next to her. Percy sat down and put and arm around her. She leaned into his warmth and put her head on his shoulder.

Sleep stole Annabeth. Her eyes began to flutter shut, closing off the luminescent blue light from behind her. She felt Percy press his lips to her forehead. "It's okay, Annabeth. Go to sleep. I've got you. We're going to be okay, you hear me? We'll be just fine."

After hearing those words, so optimistic, they really comforted Annabeth, she settled into a deep sleep, loving that her boyfriend was next to her, keeping her safe.

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**Sometimes you just need to have a happy ending!**

**I know what I'm saying when it comes to broken ankles. Mine is right now. I know, weird right? It broke RIGHT before I read the Mark of Athena and learned about Annabeth. O.o**

**Reviews/ideas are loved! Take the new poll on my profile!**

**-BBH**


	8. Chapter 8: Jason

**Thanks for the reviews, Happy Thanksgiving. Y'all are just so freaking amazing, I hope you know! I'm chilling with my awesome cousin, Kimmie G914!**

**Sorry for typos or OOCness.**

**Happy Reading!**

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Chapter 8

Jason

Jason awoke when he heard the banging on his door. His eyes cracked open when he saw Leo poke his head inside, a wicked smile on his face.

"What do you want?" asked Jason groggily.

"We're descending into Greece now!" Leo said excitedly, still knocking on the door as if he weren't already awake.

Jason threw a pillow at him, which Leo threw back. "And how much coffee did you have this morning?" wondered Jason, raising an eyebrow at his friend.

"Just a cup," justified Leo. Jason cocked his head to the side, raising his eyebrow even farther. Leo shrugged helplessly. "Okay, maybe two… or three… But that's not the point. The point is that you need to get out of bed and take a shower and put on clean clothes. We've got some friends to save!"

Leo left Jason to collect his thoughts. They were already in Greece? Only yesterday had they been fighting monsters in Rome. Only yesterday had Percy and Annabeth disappeared. Time flies when you're trying to stay alive, thought Jason as he sat up and walked to his bathroom.

After a five minute wake-up shower and putting on some jeans and his purple Camp Jupiter shirt, Jason went to the lounge. He found Piper sitting at the table, by herself, staring a small bagel.

"Hey, are you okay?" he asked from behind her. She jerked up, startled. Then she turned around and looked Jason in the eye. She sniffled a little. Her eyes were watery. "Yeah, I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?" She didn't sound that fine. Her voice was thick with emotion, and Jason didn't know whether it was best to ask her or let the subject drop. Girls were confusing.

He decided to drop it; he didn't want to pry her with anything she probably didn't want to talk about (though Jason could already guess why). He summoned his own plate of eggs and bacon and dug into them. Piper gave him a weird look, but otherwise did nothing but pick at her bagel.

A few minutes later, Frank and Hazel walked in, holding hands. Frank was wearing the same pair of pants that he had been wearing for the past few days, since his clothes were gone. Hazel had her hair back in a bushy bun. She was twiddling with a topaz the size of her fist.

"Where're Leo, Coach, and Nico?" asked Frank, taking a seat next to them.

Piper shrugged. Jason shook his head. "I'm not sure," he admitted, but as he was saying that, Coach and Leo walked in. Leo had used some grease to slick back his hair (truth be told, it looked weird on him), and Coach was munching happily on a can of already drunk Coke.

"Where's the death kid?" asked the satyr, swallowing a mouthful of aluminum. Hazel glared at him and Coach looked a little surprised by this reaction from her. "What? What did I say that was oh so wrong?"

"Just because Nico is the son of Hades doesn't make him the death kid," she shot at him, and Leo whistled in satisfaction. Frank had a grin on his face and patted his girlfriend's shoulder.

Hedge threw up his hands. "Uh, yeah it kind of does, kid," he answered, exasperated.

"No. I'm the daughter of Pluto, and people don't go around calling me the 'death girl'."

"Well, at least, not to your face," murmured Leo. Jason knew he was just trying to be funny, but right then was not the appropriate him. Hazel glared at him too. With a huff, she stalked upstairs to the deck. Frank was on her heels, trying to calm her down, and they were all left there, silent.

"I still don't see what I did wrong," Coach said.

"Give her some space, guys," mumbled Piper, throwing away her uneaten bagel.

"Well, we don't have time for space right now. We are hovering over Greece and we need a game plan before we can do anything."

So they all went up to the deck, where they found Hazel and Nico talking to each other quietly. Nico looked terrible. The bags under his eyes were way worse than Jason's, and the poor kid looked like he was going to collapse at any moment. He noticed Jason looking at him and said, "I'm fine. Now quit staring."

So Jason obliged.

"Okay folks, listen up!" called Leo. "We're in Greece, which means we're in Giant/Gaea territory now, so keep your eyes and ear open." Leo turned to Gleeson. "Sorry, Coach, but I think you're going to have to stay and watch the ship."

Rage burned in Coach's eyes, and he stood up on his tiptoes so that he was eye to eye with Leo. "Now you listen here, Mr. Admiral. I haven't watched all of these Jackie Chan movies just to sit around. I've been trained to protect demigods, and I'm good at my job."

"But Coach," Jason intervened. "We need you to watch the ship so that the monsters don't hijack it. That would be really bad, and I'm almost positive that you'll have to put up fight against them."

Coach Hedge started contemplating this. Jason hating giving little white lies, but they really didn't need an overprotective satyr with them when they came face to sleeping face with Gaea. None of his friends said anything either. Maybe they were grateful that he had said something, or maybe they were just too mad at him. Their expressions were unreadable.

Finally, Coach Hedge said, "Fine, but if I hear about any funny business from the nature spirits- and yes, I will have them watching you guys- you'll be up to your elbows in chores and work. And don't think I'll let you off the hook for any reasons."

Jason was filled with relief. That was one thing taken care of.

"Okay, thanks," said Leo. "Now, this is the end, my friends. This is the grand finale. We've been training for this for a while. All that we've done had led up to this. Plus, two of our friends are stuck somewhere, way below us. They're fighting for their lives, and they need our help. So get your killing faces on. We've got some earth goddesses and giants to put back to sleep."

"Nice monologue." Nico rolled his eyes. "But I've got some important news for all of us."

Everyone was silent for a minute, and then Hedge said, "Well, spit it out, boy."

Nico was asleep.

"Oh, for the love of the gods," groaned Leo. He walked up to Nico and shook him. Nico shot to his feet, arms flailing. He hit Leo in the face. Leo grabbed his nose and cried out, "What's your problem?" It looked like Jason wasn't the only one who had some Nico issues. Leo didn't act like his normal, crazy self around the kid. He was high-strung. No one was used to this side of Leo. Especially Jason and Piper.

Nico blushed, "Sorry, I'm just a bit tired, but I'll be fine. For the past few days, I've been dreaming about the House of Hades. In my dreams, I've actually been there. It's this huge, vast cavern with giant gates guarding the house. It's so dark down there that you can only use Greek Fire to see around you."

"Well, that's just great," sighed Frank.

"Anyway," he continued. "Last night, or this morning, whenever it was, I had another dream about the House. On the ceiling, they showed visions, and I saw Percy and Annabeth."

Jason gaped at him; why hadn't he told Jason before? He dismissed the thought. "So… they're alive, right?" he asked, almost not wanting to here the answer for fear of what it was.

Nico nodded. "That last I saw they were, but they were in trouble. Which is why we need to get there as soon as possible."

"Anything else?" asked Hazel.

"Yeah. That gate, it's called a _Porta Nouita Reditum."_

"Gate of No Return," Jason automatically translated. "Is that supposed to scare us or something?"

"I'm not sure, but it doesn't sound that great. What if once we cross over it, we can never get out? There are so many different ways this gate can be interpreted that I'm not sure which way to go. But the Doors of Death are most definitely on the other side."

"Anything else?" Hazel asked again.

Nico looked a little freaked out, but he said, "There's another giant out there, I think?"

For a second, everyone was silent, absorbing the information. Then, Piper said, "How can you be sure?"

"I can't."

"If it is a giant, do you have any idea which one it is?" Frank asked, his hands balled into tight fists.

"No idea." Nico sighed greatly, like he couldn't wait for the conversation to be over. Another shot of anger coursed through Jason, but he remained calm. Years of living at a Roman Camp had taught him that it was never good to go insane unless you had already talked to the person before about what you didn't like. He would have to have a one on one conversation with Nico, but he could do that after the war.

"Well, let's get ready for a war, you guys."

"But, Leo, we don't even know where the House of Hades is in Epirus. How're we supposed to get there?"

"You expect me to know that?" Leo barked laughter. "I'm just giving orders. Maybe Nico or Hazel can help with that. Or maybe we'll just play the guessing game. We already know that it's underground and that it's a large cavern, so that's a start."

It was actually a pretty good start. They all got ready for their landing. Jason put some squares of ambrosia that would no doubt get smashed by the time they returned, but smashed ambrosia was better than none at all.

He made sure that he had his sword with him and a small back up knife. It was nothing more than a switchblade, just small enough to fit in his back pocket.

When he was finished, he went back up to the deck, where Nico still sat. He looked confused and misplaced. His clothes were dirty, he was still tired, and he no weapons to defend himself with.

Jason wanted to be the better man, even if he didn't trust Nico. He waved the son of Hades over. "What do you want?" asked Nico.

"Dude, go and get yourself a pastry or something. You've got to be hungry after living off of pomegranate seeds. There are more weapons stored downstairs. Go find Leo and get a change of clothes. No offense, but you look pretty bad."

Nico cracked a smile. "Thanks." He left Jason, and Jason felt sort of happy that he'd help the Goth kid.

A few minutes later, Leo came up. "Seriously, why'd you tell him to come take my clothes?"

"But you _are_ closest in size to him."

"Wow, thanks." Leo went back down below deck, probably to the engine room.

All of the others came back up, looking ready. Nico came back up too, and he looked kind of ridiculous in Leo's clothes. The orange shirt looked really weird on him. Apparently, Nico felt Jason's eyes, because he shrugged on his jacket and walked across the deck.

"Okay you guys, prepare for landing!" Leo was back upstairs, holding the Archimedes Sphere, the small Athena Parthenos, and a set of Wii remotes. He shoved the Sphere and action figure in Jason's arms. "Hold this," he said afterwards.

"Um, okay." Jason noticed Nessie crawling around on Leo's head, and he laughed a little bit. Leo stared at him. "What's so funny?" His hands flew to his face, patting it and checking his fingers. "Is there something on me?"

Jason started to answer, but then he just shook his head. "Just forget it."

Leo did. He moved the controllers around, and Jason and the other walked over to the edge of the ship. They were in Greece, but Jason couldn't see any ancient buildings or monuments. It was kind of disappointing.

They were landing in a large forest. There was a clearing only just big enough for the ship. Coach Hedge grinned in satisfaction. "Even better: a forest. There should be plenty of nymphs to stalk- uh, I mean watch over you guys while I'm here."

With a thud and a lurch, the ship was landed. Leo took the Athena Parthenos from Jason and put it in his tool belt. Then he took the Sphere and said, "Watch this." He set his hands on the sides and put in a code. The Sphere shrunk until it was the size of a jaw breaker. "Cool right?"

"How to you make it bigger?" asked Piper.

"I don't know. I'll worry about that later." Leo set down the gangplank and saluted to them. "Well, all ashore that's going ashore."

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**I know what you all must be thinking: "If they're already in Greece, then isn't the story gonna end soon?" Let me assure you, this story is far from being over...**

**Reviews and ideas are loved! Do you think we could get to 400? Maybe, maybe not?**

**-BBH**


	9. Chapter 9: Percy

**Hey! Thanks for the reviews! Sorry for the late update!**

**Sorry for typos or OOCness!**

**Happy Reading!**

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Chapter 9

Percy

Dreamless sleep equals happy demigod. For once, this was the case with Percy.

When he opened his eyes, nearly four hours later, he couldn't believe any time had passed at all. The trees around him still glowed the same color, and a little river of water was dripping down on his forehead. Annabeth was passed out with her head on his chest.

For a moment, he was confused about the fact that trees didn't glow, and that it was the only light given off. Heck, why was he in a forest, covered in water and leaves, with Annabeth next to him. The Annabeth part did not bother him, put everything else did.

Then the previous events came back to him. The fall, Arachne, the Fiat. A fake Welcome to Tartarus sign stuck out in his mind.

He jumped to his feet in surprise, bringing out Riptide in one swift motion. He was in Tartarus and fallen asleep. How stupid could he be? There were monsters and an earth goddess watching his every move.

Annabeth's head hit the ground, and she grumbled something in her sleep, then turned over.

Percy backed up against a tree, his eyes scanning the area all around them. He jumped off of the tree. It had burned him. He looked down at his hand, and then saw the blisters on it. Annabeth and him had fallen asleep against that tree, yet it hadn't hurt them. Maybe their clothes were protective or something.

Percy willed the little river of water to grow. Pulling Annabeth out of the way, a steady stream came down. He stuck his head underneath it and took a sip. Just as great as he'd remembered. Maybe the water was laced with something. Perhaps nectar?

Then he stuck his hand under it. The water healed the redness and blisters before his eyes. And then he could feel all of his other cuts and bruises mending. A small fracture in his collarbone that he refused to tell Annabeth about healed. He could feel the bones coming together. He hadn't told Annabeth because she had enough problems.

Percy wished he could heal other people. He had once tried to heal Annabeth with his water powers shortly after the Titan war. The result had been a very wet, very angry girlfriend. He didn't want to try that again.

_Snap!_ Percy heard a twig close by. His heart leapt into his throat. He swallowed loudly. Annabeth was unfazed. Percy didn't want to wake her up. Sleep was the best way for her to heal now.

But he couldn't just let a threat go unhandled. He had to see what it was. With one final look at Annabeth, he brandished his sword again and followed the source of the noise.

He prayed that she would be okay by herself. Annabeth was always resourceful. Being a Daughter of Athena, everything around her was like a canvas, waiting for her use. Percy was pretty sure she could use anything to kill something if it came at her. But still he worried about his choice.

_Snap!_ He heard it again. He started to jog, but he was worried he would get lost. The trees light began to fade, and Percy was grateful for the light given off by his sword. Sighing, he slowed down and just looked around. Every tree looked the same.

Percy lowered his sword. The sounds echoed in the forest. He wasn't sure where it was coming from now. He took a step near one of the trees and leaned against it. Slowly, he peered around the side. There wasn't that glow. There was only darkness, and the snapping of twigs.

He heard a low growl and backed up, tripping over a tree root. With a snap of its jaws, a creature jumped out of the forest and lunged for Percy.

The paws hit Percy's shoulders and sent him falling backward. When he hit the ground with a thud, it knocked the wind out of him. His sword was thrown in a different direction. Teeth bit at his face, and pushed its nose with all of his strength. It would not budge off of him. Apparently, the creature wanted a little taste of Percy.

Too late did Percy realize that it was a hellhound trying to eat him. Percy had been attacked by hellhounds before. He hated hurting them, since he had a soft spot for them with his own pet one, Mrs. O'Leary.

"Bad boy," he yelled at the dog. It was the size of a couch, which meant it was only a baby. "You do not eat demigods! They cause diarrhea!"

The hellhound didn't care. He bit away at Percy. He yelled and cursed the dog, and turned his head away from the hound. _Please don't bite me, please don't bit me._

Percy could only rely on his power now. All of these trees around him were filled with water. But he could only get it out by touching the tree. Even though the effort was futile, he closed his eyes and relaxed his muscles as much as he could without letting the dog get a taste of Percy.

He felt a tug in his stomach, and the sound of an explosion behind him. Water rained down on him. The hellhound stopped and looked up. Percy looked over his shoulder. Once by one, the trees were exploding, water bursting out of them. The rain froze and pelted them both with hail. The dog yelped and jumped off of him, trying to get away from the unrelenting ice. Percy too jumped up and lunged for Riptide. Once he had his sword in his hands again, he felt a lot better. He'd rather face the hellhound then torture it with pelting ice.

The hail ceased. The dog crouched down. He was bleeding, and one of his eyes looked injured. The dog didn't look like it was going to jump at Percy. It looked defeated and hurt. The dog whimpered.

Percy couldn't kill a baby hellhound. He hadn't known better than to attack Percy. The baby had probably watched his momma do this thousands of times. That was what Percy called bad parenting.

He crept forward, put his sword behind his back. Percy reached out with one hand so the hellhound could sniff him. He did, and a drop of blood hit Percy's hand. He cringed in sympathy.

The dog didn't attack, but it did get up. He didn't come at Percy, but it ran away through the dead rainforest. He was probably going to go back to his mom now. They needed to move.

Percy was lost for a second. His sense of direction had been messed up. He saw where the hound had broken through, and he saw pretty sure he had come from the opposite way. It was his only lead, so he took it sprinting.

It actually did lead him back to Annabeth. She was still asleep, oblivious to anything that had happened. Percy shook her, and her eyes popped open.

"Hey," she said stretching. "What time is it?" Before Percy could tell her anything, she stood up. She gasped in pain and fell to the ground. Percy caught her and held her up. She winced in her side.

"What happened?"she asked, looking down at her. Then her eyes widened and she looked at their surroundings. "Oh my gods, where are we?" Percy opened his mouth to answer, but she said, "We're in Tartarus, aren't we?" Again, Percy tried to say something, but she went on. "Oh no, we are. It wasn't a dream. My rib and ankle are broken." Her eyes got even bigger in horror.

"Yes," Percy finally said. "And we need to leave now."

Annabeth reached up and touched Percy's forehead. "What happened to you?"

Percy didn't know what she was talking about. But as an explanation, she showed him her fingers. In the blue light, they looked black, but Percy could smell that metallic scent; he was bleeding.

He touched his own forehead. He couldn't even feel anything. It didn't matter. "We need to leave now," he repeated. Annabeth knew better than to ask why. She just nodded and grabbed his crutches. Percy began to run out of the forest. She hobbled as fast as she could on her crutches, but that wasn't that fast.

They needed to go fast. Percy snatched Annabeth up, honeymoon style. She yelped and squirmed, but Percy ignored her. She still clutched to her crutches.

The forest got darker, which was good, because that meant they were near the edge of it. Percy looked up and could see the roof of the forest getting thinner. He could see the car in the distance. They were getting closer.

The growls started again. Baby hellhound had got momma hellhound, and they were out for blood. Preferably his.

They broke out of the trees with a crash. Percy literally threw Annabeth in the passenger's seat and then jumped in his side. He fumbled with the keys. The growling was getting louder.

He tossed Annabeth his pen. "If the hellhounds come out of the trees, whack them."

"What hellhounds?" she asked, he didn't reply. The car started, and Percy gassed it. They went straight back into the jungle at a hundred miles per hour. Annabeth screamed and Percy gripped the steering wheel so tight that his hands were white.

His reflexes were good. He steered in and out of trees, only hitting branches. Annabeth clung to the chair for dear life. "You're insane!" she screamed at him.

"Did you just figure that out?" he yelled back, swerving around a down tree, clenching teeth.

"Nope. That's why we're a couple!" she confirmed.

"You know it!"

"Look out!" cried Annabeth, pointing in front of her. There was a wall of vines. There was nowhere else to go. So Percy and Annabeth crashed right through the vines, screaming all the way.

Thankfully, there was only a bunch of other trees on the other side, not a brick wall or anything. That really would've sucked. Percy kept zooming along. But the barks and growling of the hellhounds was still behind them, getting closer and closer.

Annabeth screamed, and Percy looked over at her just in time to see giant teeth scrape against the side of the car. Annabeth leaned out of the car and thwacked the dog. She hacked at the ear, and Percy sucked in a breath as the dog yelped and stopped running after them.

She got back inside the car, rage on her face. Percy hated seeing the hellhounds in pain, but he tried t remind himself that these creatures were not his friends. They wanted him dead. They were probably working for the giants or the titans.

The trees were beginning to stop glowing. Percy couldn't see that much blue around him anymore. They were nearing the other side of the forest. They were so close to freedom of this freak forest. "Step on it!" exclaimed Annabeth, leaning out of the car again with his sword.

He pressed on the gas again. One hundred twenty miles per hour now. Trees blurred past them and Percy's head slammed back into the seat. Annabeth came back inside and handed him his sword. Leaning across the consol, she took the wheel from Percy. "They're coming up on your side," she informed him, keeping her eyes on the forest ahead of them.

"Okay." Percy leaned out of the window, keeping one hand gripping his seat so he wouldn't fall out. He could see the blurs of black fur bounding closer to them. Death glares met death glares. Someone was definitely going to die. Percy didn't want it to be either of them.

The baby hellhound jumped, probably trying to get on top of the car. Percy slashed in a wide arc, creating a blossoming amount of blood that hit Percy's face. The dog whined and collapsed against the top of the car with a thud. Then it rolled off and hit the ground, successfully hitting the momma. The mom faulted against it and tripped. Soon they were out of distance.

Percy got back inside the car and grabbed the wheel from Annabeth. She slid over back into her seat. Even the small efforts she had made hurt her. Percy heard her hiss in pain. She was sweating.

"How are you?" Percy asked, gripping one of her hands.

She shook her head. "Don't worry about me. Just keep your eyes ahead of you. Who know when they'll be back? We gotta be prepared."

But Percy couldn't help but worry. In the past however long they had been there, she had been seriously injured and deprived of help. Percy wasn't of any assistance to her. He was being a pretty bad boyfriend.

Even though their main goal was to close the Doors of Death, it was more than that to Percy. He wanted revenge on all of the people that were responsible for Annabeth's health. That was more than Arachne. That was Gaea and all of the giants and all of the monsters. Percy couldn't stand to think of any of them.

For the first time in Percy's life, he was thirsty for blood.

* * *

**Hmmm... Mad Percy? Very interesting...**

**Hey! I've started a new Percy Jackson story called You And Me, Against the World. It's an apocalyptic survival romance story! Go check it out! Chapter one is posted.**

**Reviews and ideas are loved!**

**-BBH**


	10. Chapter 10: Nico

**Thanks for ten chapters of awesomeness. You guys are so amazing!**

**Sorry about typos/OOCness (Which, for those who keep bugging me about this, mean Out Of Character)**

**Happy Reading!**

* * *

Chapter 10

Nico

Coach Hedge went a little overboard on the 'baby-sitting'.

Right after the six of them had left the ship, Hedge vanished from their sight. Nico thought this was a bit weird, but he wasn't about to call the satyr over to them just to make sure he was still there. Maybe he had decided to go watch some honey badger nature specials. It didn't affect Nico one way to the other.

"Over the hills and through the woods to Hades' house we go," sang Leo softly, obviously ignoring the glares from everyone. That kid was getting on his nerves almost as much as Percy used to.

Frank and Hazel walked next to Nico, probably trying to keep him company, even thought he was perfectly fine being by himself. He didn't say anything though; it was nice to have someone with him for a change. Especially since they were his only friends out of everyone on this quest. Everyone else was nice enough, but these guys were his… buddies. He couldn't even believe he had thought that word.

"The death kid knows the way, but doesn't seem to like the word 'hey'," continued Leo. Nico grumbled unkind words. "Through the trees to… to…" Leo apparently couldn't think of anything that rhymed. He quit the song, and Nico's ears finally stopped bleeding.

Ahead of him, Piper and Jason were holding hands and whispering things to each other. Nico wondered what they were talking about, and he felt a little self-conscious, even thought he was 99 percent sure their conversation wasn't about him.

"Why am I leading the way?" Leo finally asked.

"I thought you were the Supreme Commander," Piper pointed out.

"No, I'm just the Repair Boy," countered Leo, rolling his eyes. It seemed like an inside joke between the three of them, and Nico didn't want a back story. "But really, I have no idea where we are supposed to go. Nico, why don't you lead the way?"

The simpler option would be for them to all just shadow travel to House, but Nico didn't have enough experience with it to that. The trip to Tartarus and days in a jar and pretty much drained his powers. Even if he tried, he would probably lose someone's arm in the process, and no one would enjoy that. And option C was for Nico to ditch them and take a nice trip to China or something.

But he wouldn't bail on them. This quest was much too important.

"Truth be told you guys," he started. "Those days of… torture did not do wonders for me. I'm not sure if I could even shadow travel there to tell you it's real. So I can only guess where to go from here on out."

"Well, your guess is better than mine," said Frank. "You actually know what the House of Hades is."

"I do, yet I don't. Persephone once told me a story about the place during one of the few moments she wasn't turning me into flowers. In ancient times, people were sacrificed to Hades inside, hoping he would be pleased with one death instead of killing a whole village or something."

"I wonder what kind of flower you would be," someone giggled.

Nico's face turned red. "Who said that?" he demanded.

All of them shook their heads, just as dumbfounded as he was. He heard a chorus of giggles coming from the trees. Then they were silent.

Nico ignored the nature spirits. They were just as annoying in Greece as they were at the camps. "Some tales also say that those who wanted their life to end could go there. It was a one way door to the Underworld. As long as someone was guarding the doors, spirits would not be able to escape."

"The doors…" Frank trailed off. "Oh, you mean _the_ Doors."

He nodded. "The Doors of Death have always been in Epirus, right inside of the House of Hades. Of course, I have no idea if any of this is even true. I've collected this information from my own travels. The stories are always told different. It's like comparing Greek Mythology to Clash of the Titans. No one knows what's real and what isn't."

"So, in other words," Piper reasoned. "We have no idea whether this place is real or not?"

"Except for the fact that I've been there in my dreams," countered Nico, shrugging his shoulders. "It is the best lead we have."

"You could always ask one of us," sighed a nature spirit. A nymph with bright green hair and purple clothes came stepping out of the trees. She super short and frail, but looked to be in her mid thirties. She casually strolled toward them like she had all the time in the world. They all turned to face her. She blushed bright green. "Well, it's true. We've lived here longer than you have; we know every nook and cranny of Greece, and we love to talk."

"What's your name?" asked Hazel.

"Tulip," she answered, studying her nails. "And if I'm correct, you don't have all day to talk to me either. So why not just ask me what needs to be asked, and you can be on your merry way?"

"Sounds pretty good to me," muttered Jason. Then he coughed and nudged Nico forward. "I think he has all of the questions for you."

Nico turned around and glared and Jason, but the nymph didn't care. "Ah, Mr. di Angelo, Son of Hades. Pleasure to meet you. As I said before, my name is Tulip, and I'll show you to the place that you need to be. It's the least I can do for Gleeson."

"You know Hedge?"

"Just met him when he asked me to watch over a group of demigods that he assumed would be walking around in circles, wondering where to go. I guessed that it was you guys, so I told him I'd love to help. I love a tall guy."

"Actually, Coach Hedge has a girlfriend," said Piper, but all Nico could think was, _Tall? I'm taller than him!_

"You said you were to show us to the place we need to be?" asked Frank. "By that, you do mean the House of Hades, right?"

"Perhaps," she said mysteriously. "But I'm not going to hand you over to the Giants or anything, if that's what you're worried about. I would never try to help them. They tend to put us in slavery. Ugh, the thought! I will help you guys in any way that I can, and right now, that is showing you to where you need to be!"

She skipped off happily, obviously expecting them to follow her. Nico started to go after her, but Hazel laid a hand down on his shoulder. "Nico, are you sure this is a good thing?"

"It's the only way we'll get there." This time, they all went after Nico and Tulip.

The whole way through the forest, Tulip wouldn't quit talking to them. She asked them questions about what had happened before they got to Greece, how much they knew already from the brewing war, Coach Hedge, and what camps they went to (even though she clearly knew the answer). Jason said, "Do you have any idea how long it is from here to the House."

Tulip laughed like she knew something they didn't. "My version of long and your version of long are two different things, Son of Jupiter. We'll get there when we get there."

They walked on for a little while longer before saying, "If I was a demigod, I'd say about an hour or so longer, but time is very hard for me."

Someone popped out from the trees. She walked up to Leo and took his face in her hands. "No bruises, no cuts, okay, okay, you look good. Gleeson will be pleased." She vanished in a puff of green smoke than smelled like pine and cedar.

This happened about five other times, each time focused on a different half-blood. The nymphs really wanted to make sure they were safe. It was like that overprotective mom that wouldn't let you out of her sight, even if it meant a few feet. Soon Nico felt like they had attached a collar to his neck to make sure he wouldn't get away.

A breeze blew, and Nico pulled his jacket around him tighter. He hated being in foreign places and not knowing where he was going. It was like the labyrinth all over again. He'd felt so small and vulnerable inside of it, just on little kid in a huge maze full of creeps and monsters.

"And here we are at the edge. Welcome to the Epirus region," she greeted waving her arms. "It's a beautiful little city. We're in Ioannina, right now."

"We're in a lake," Nico said dully.

It was true; all he could see was water in every direction, except for behind him. But there was a little land, way off in the distance, but Nico couldn't make out anything about it.

"Actually," she continued, ignoring him, "Ioannina was the capital of the Principality of Epirus, during the Byzantine Empire. But we're not staying on the mainland. We're going out onto Ioannina Island! Oh, and by we, I mean you."

"But we need your help," objected Hazel.

"No you don't. I took you as far as I could go. I must be getting back to my home now. My sisters will be worried. I'll make sure to tell Coach Handsome that you all made it here safely. But I really must be on my way. Toodle-loo!" She waved at them.

"Wait!" Nico stopped her. "How are we supposed to get onto the island? We don't have a boat. Only Jason can fly."

"Hm." She considered this. "Well, you _are_ the Son of Hades, why don't you tell me?"

She was gone before he could even answer. Nico thought about that. What was she trying to say? He was the Son of Hades, but that wasn't going to help them in this situation.

"What was that all about?" asked Jason. He looked at Nico like he was holding out on them.

He put up his hands. "I don't know. Maybe we should try to find a boat." They were on the edge of a cliff, a small beach below them. "It wouldn't hurt to try, you know. Let's go check it out." It was stupid, considering he didn't have any weapons, but still worth a try.

Leo was looking at the Archimedes Sphere. "I'm afraid to risk using this right now," he admitted. "I don't think magical boats or jet packs come out of it."

"Yeah, wouldn't that be nice," scoffed Frank shaking his head. Leo gave him the evil eye in return.

"I'm just saying-"

"You don't need to," Frank cut him off. Hazel put a hand on Frank's shoulder while Nico laughed inside. Watching Leo and Frank get it a 'fight' was like watching two middle school girls on a cliché Disney Channel show.

"Break it up," Nico mumbled loud enough for everyone to hear. "This isn't getting us anywhere. If we didn't take risks, then none of us would be here. And don't even try to object to that."

"But what if Tulip was lying?" asked Piper. "I can't believe I didn't use my charmspeak on her to make sure she was telling the truth. But really, what if the House of Hades isn't on that island? We'll have wasted so much time for nothing."

Nico didn't want to think like that, but she was right. The House of Hades may not even be on the island. It could be underneath them, or still on the mainland. Nico stuck his head up defiantly. "We have no other choice right now other than to believe the nymph and find a way over there."

Nico really hoped that Tulip had stayed true to her word.

* * *

**Do you guys think Tulip is bad or good? Tell me what you think!**

**Wow, the world may end in 16 days. Gods, that would suck, but you'd totally catch me taking picture!**

**Reviews and ideas are loved!**

**-BBH**


	11. Chapter 11: Annabeth

***** As of 12/13/12: I'm very sorry about writing that long AN at the end. I was all PMS like when I wrote it. Please ignore, and I won't do it again. Sorry:) *****

**Sorry for Typos/OOCnes/EXTREME SHORTNESS! Hope you enjoy? This is not my best, so don't say that you hate it. No one hates it more than I. So... sorry?**

**Happy Reading!**

* * *

Chapter 11

Annabeth

"Percy, they're gone now," Annabeth said shakily. "You can slow down."

Annabeth wasn't sure if that was going to be possible. It was like there was a brick on Percy's foot. He refused to let up on their speed. Annabeth was constantly holding onto something for fear that they were going to crash into the black walls that now surrounded them.

They were in some sort of dark tunnel system. Annabeth wasn't sure where the tunnels had started. She didn't remember Percy driving into them, but after they had left the forest, it had been pretty hard to see anything around them, even with the headlights on. Forget about watching for the enemy hellhounds chasing them; Annabeth couldn't see the road in front of her.

Somehow, though, they'd ended up in the black tunnels. They were pretty narrow, kind of like a two lane road with no margin of error. The tunnel would fork off every once in a while with sharp turns that if weren't done precisely would cause them to crash into the wall and die a painful death.

Annabeth shivered. If she was going to go down, she didn't want it to be like that.

"I'm serious Percy. They're gone." She couldn't be sure, but no need to worry about it now. About an hour or two had passed since the attack.

Percy grunted. "Annabeth, I don't trust them. Those hellhounds were wild and freaky. They definitely were not Mrs. O'Leary. I will not risk you getting hurt anymore than you are right now."

She laid her hand on his arm, and he flinched away and first, but then leaned in a little bit to her touch. "Trust me Percy. You look like you're going to wet yourself."

He glanced down at his pants briefly. "I'm fine, and you're not. We need to find you medical attention, and I will not rest until I find you some." Annabeth almost laughed. Percy could be just as stubborn as she was.

"Okay fine. You'll waste away driving a car, Seaweed Brain. I prefer my boyfriends wide awake rather than terror-stricken and tired. We don't even know where we are."

"So what?" Percy shrugged his shoulders. "This seems like the right way to go."

"We're in a tunnel, driving like we are on the Autobahn."

"The auto-what?"

"Never mind." Annabeth relaxed against the back of the seat and rubbed her neck. Her ankle had begun to throb and she couldn't feel her midsection. She was hungry. She moved her hand forward and checked the glove box for food. Thankfully, she found three little granola bars.

"Bon Appetit," said Annabeth, tossing one at Percy. He caught it with master reflexes and studied it for a minute.

"You know, on every quest, we've always had granola bars as our meal."

"Yeah." She remembered the old days during her own quest through the Labyrinth. They would sit around with Tyson and Grover and have granola bars and fruit juice boxes. Back then, she'd had a huge crush on Percy, but then confused by Luke's confessions, and jealous of Rachel. She was so glad that all of that mess was fixed. Aphrodite liked to make people's lives interesting, that's for sure.

Percy and Annabeth still ate the granola bars with record speed. Afterwards, Annabeth leaned her head down and closed her eyes. She was so much more tired than usual.

It didn't take her long to fall into a dreamless sleep. It was like floating on clouds and eating cotton candy in a pink world where she and Percy were safe and she was hurt. The sun shone brightly, and the sea was a sparkling green like Percy's eyes.

Her dream world was so over the top fourth grade-ish, it was sad. But it was happy to her.

When she woke up, Percy was still driving, but his eye lids were dropping slowly. Annabeth yawned loudly and rubbed her eyes. Yawns were contagious, and Percy yawned also. He turned and looked at her. "Welcome back to the world of the living." Which wasn't completely true.

"Percy, you're going to crash the car by falling asleep. And when we die from that and go to the Underworld, I will be SO mad at you. So park the car and sleep."

"I was just sleeping before," protested Percy.

She raised an eyebrow. "And how long ago was before?"

"Back when we were in the jungle," he admitted.

"I know that. My question was when was that? I've been asleep and I would like to know how long." She thought she had been pretty straightforward, but then again, this was Percy she was talking to.

"Hm, you fell asleep about eight hours ago."

"WHAT? Eight hours? No way." She knew it was true, but she didn't want to believe it one bit. "I've been asleep for eight hours?"

"You have. You should go back to sleep too."

"Not unless you do. You're going to pass out sooner or later, and I won't quit saying this until you do so."

"Fine." Percy eased onto the break and stopped the car. He took the keys out and shoved them into his pocket. He jumped out of the car and ran over to her side, opening the door for her. "Are you pleased now?" He carried her a few feet away from the car and sat her down.

"As a matter of fact, I am." He sat down next to her and leaned against the wall. It was made of a cool black stone that smelled like charcoal. She put her hand against it and felt something powdery come off on her hands.

Percy yawned again. Annabeth watched his eyes close, and her slumped down and fell on his face. "Ouch," he mumbled absently, and she giggled.

Soon there was snoring coming from Percy, and Annabeth knew that he was finally asleep. She pulled his head into her laps and stroked his hair gently. He murmured in his sleep and turned on his side. His hand moved a little bit like he was trying to hit something, but fell with a thud to the ground.

Annabeth bent down, wincing with her wounds, and kissed Percy on the cheek. He was sweaty. But it didn't matter to her. He still looked incredibly handsome.

"Oh, Percy, what am I going to do with you?" Annabeth sighed. He didn't answer. No one did. Her voice echoed all around her.

Annabeth felt like she wasn't alone. Those other voices that were surrounding her didn't seem like her own. They seemed deeper, more fatigued, and millennia older.

The echoes were the voices of Gaea.

* * *

**So, I few hours ago, I received a review. I wouldn't call it a flame, or constructive criticism, but it seriously pissed me off enough to get on here and write a chapter just so that I could say this (I don't like writing chapters that only contain author's notes :).**

**So the review was from an anonymous person, who named themselves 'Bored'. They said that they liked the story, but that I was, and I quote, "A little lazy." They also said that they had no patience for how long I was taking to write my chapters, and that I was upsetting them. They had reviewed me before, and said that I only cared about getting reviews and would only update once I was satisfied, and they were going to quit reading or something.**

**My response to that:**

**I'm going through some very hard things in my life right now, so it's kind of hard for me to get on here and write. Chapters will be posted once/twice a week, and that's all. I honestly don't think that means I am lazy, but whatever. **

**And so many people have said that I only care about reviews. Um, no I don't. Don't get me wrong, I love reviews, but I write because I like writing. ****Telling me to update will not make me update any faster. Sorry, but it's true. **

**Wow, I sound so paranoid, I know. But I just needed to get this off my chest, because it's honestly been hanging over my head since I started writing my Mark of Athena story (Which is over a year).**

***** As of 12/13/12: Once again, sorry for writing all of this. I won't do it again. It's just it was Guest Reviewer, and I couldn't reply to him without this. SORRY *****

**-BBH**


	12. Chapter 12: Jason

**Hey Guys! Thanks for the reviews! You all are so amazing, I hope you know! Sorry about that long authors note in the previous chapter, but I was and still am pissed. **

**Sorry for typos/OOCness! Hope you enjoy!**

**Happy Reading!**

* * *

Chapter 12

Jason

Jason didn't trust Tulip.

There was something about her that just annoyed him. She seemed too happy go lucky in his opinion, like a few of the Aphrodite campers from Camp Half-Blood that would corner him and start flirting. They never got along that well with Piper, mainly because they were Drew's little servants.

But Piper seemed to be fine with Tulip. "She's nice," she insisted to Jason as they were walking through the forest. "Sometimes you just have to put your faith is other people."

And now, Tulip had completely abandoned them in some city called Ioannina. Jason had studied Italy's geography since he was young, and as history, he had also studied Greece. Never had he heard of Ioannina, or the island on the outskirts of it. Plus, Tulip had said that Nico should know how to get to that island, which added to the reasons that Jason didn't trust the kid.

But Nico was either purposely acting naïve, or he really had no idea what she had meant. After she had left, everyone was getting a little suspicious. Even Piper had wondered if she was lying to them.

"Let's look for some way to get over there," Nico said afterwards.

It didn't take long for Frank to call out to everyone, "I found some stairs. There's a dock down there. Let's see if we can get one of the boats."

Jason took the stairs two at a time with Piper right behind him. When they got to the bottom, Leo passed them and looked around until he pointed. "Well, I guess that's our ride, folks!" He was gesturing to a motor boat, seventeen feet long and, like, eight-seated. "You don't think the owners of this will mind, do you?"

"Why does it matter? Our situation is far more important than theirs will ever be," Nico pointed out. Jason had to admit that Nico was right. They'd be thankful once they weren't killed by giants.

In addition to the motor boat, there were a few wooden rows boats, life boats, and many, very large yachts that Jason only saw in movies. They were the kind of boats that were advertised by multi-millionaires on those TV shows every one watches, even though they know they'll never get one.

There was a small shack at the bottom of the stairs, next to a short pier. The six of them went inside to find a man sitting behind a desk, like a hotel concierge. He had a Gandalf-style beard and acid washed overalls. There was a giant mole on his upper lip, and he turned around and spit in a cup before eyeing them curiously.

He said something in a language that no one understood. He seemed sort of mad as he said it, like he couldn't believe they were here. Before Jason could say anything, Leo stepped forward and said very slowly and way too loudly, "We no speak your language."

The man seemed confused for a second but then continued in very rusty English, "I don't wish to have any of your kind here. Leave, please." He nodded toward the open doorway and ushered them away with his hands. He smiled with pure hatred, showing off his rotten teeth. A waft of bad breath floated over near Jason's head, and he felt like he was choking for a second. His eyes even watered.

"Our kind?" asked Frank. "Do you mean demigod?"

The old man rolled his eyes and pointed at the bow and arrows strapped on to Franks back. "No, I mean clowns." He tapped his foot impatiently and glanced at a clock on the wall. Jason looked at it too. The second hand was stuck.

The man wasn't mad, he was nervous. He was stalling and trying to get them to leave. Jason guessed that the guy was a mortal, but he probably had the Sight; he could see through the Mist, just like Rachel Dare. But how he knew about demigods, Jason didn't have a clue.

"Yes," Leo agreed. "That's it. We're part of a traveling Circus." He grabbed three hammers out of his tool belt and attempted to start juggling them, but ended up dropping one on his foot, catching one, and hitting Nico in the back of the head with the third. Nico whirled on Leo and started muttering many profanities under his breath.

The man clapped and shook his head. "You are very much clown-like. But you are demigods, and I have not any time for you. Be gone."

Then, Jason noticed the wall of keys behind the man. He was like and keeper of the keys for the people who had boats out there. They were making this too difficult on themselves. All they had to do was step around the desk and snatch a pair of keys. Easy as pie.

"Look," Jason said. "We don't have time for this. We need the keys to that motor boat out there so that we-"

"Can get onto Ioannina Island, yes, yes. I know what you are trying to do, and Gaea has paid me very well to not let you get across. So the keys are not yours. And if you don't get out now, I'll be forced to remove you quite painfully, and you will not like it." He was speaking fluent English now, no more accent.

Jason unsheathed his sword and aimed it at the old man's throat. "What is your name?" he demanded.

The man actually laughed at them, like an evil cackle. He was cocky now, not nervous. "My name? My name is Alexander, and I am just a mortal. A very well trained mortal, may I add." He acted like the whole situation was just the funniest thing now.

Horror struck Jason like a viper. He was about to ask a question, but Hazel beat him to it. "Wait, are you _the_ Alexander? Alexander the Great?" It had to be impossible.

He laughed again. "Oh heck no. You demigods always think if I have some historic name that I'm the person. Nope. My name's just Alexander, no great in it. But I have some great things that I'm going to do to you if you don't leave right now."

"I think we'll pass," Jason sneered, starting at the man and bringing his arm back, ready to strike.

An arm caught Jason and pulled him back, not forcefully at all. Piper looked at Jason and gave him the _I've Got This_ look. Jason wasn't sure, but he stepped back and let Piper try her approach. "Please, sir." her voice dripped power. "Just give us the keys. I'm sure Gaea wouldn't mind if you only let one boat go. And you won't lose your job, either."

"Gaea also warned me about you, Piper McLean. She told me about your charmspeak and that you could manipulate people, just like your mother. I'm tired of this game. These were only supposed to be a scare tactic, but I'm fed up now." He reached behind his desk. Not jingled. Jason heard a voice hiss. He knew that voice too.

Completely on instinct he threw himself at Alexander, sword in front of him. He heard Piper gasp, Nico swear, and Leo pick up one of his down hammers. Frank and Hazel yelled, "Venti!" Jason never hit Alexander, but he hit the voice he recognized instead, the one he hadn't heard for about seven months.

Dylan looked up at him, that killer smile plastered onto his face. He still wore his Dallas jersey and had that evil, arrogant glare in his eyes. "I heard you started dating Piper, amnesiac. Congrats."

"Thanks, I'm proud to have her." He brought his sword down on Dylan, but Dylan had darted away, knowing that he wouldn't be able win a fight against a Son of Jupiter. He moved onto Frank. Jason glanced down behind the desk. There were two cages open, three closed. Two or three storm spirits were in each one. Alexander was on his hands and knees trying to undo the latches. Jason kicked him in the head. The blow was hard enough to knock him out.

Only three Venti were out fighting. Jason watched as the fourth one flew out of the shack, screaming, "Freedom," all the while. Dylan was one of the ones remaining, and he was putting up a good fight. He didn't use any of his powers though. He was humoring them.

Jason glanced out the window and saw the motor boat. There was a number 32 plastered next to it. Pretty self explanatory. Jason found keys number 32. Now there was only the matter of stopping the Venti.

"Get them outside, guys!" he said, hopping over the desk and attempting to hit one in the neck. She-it was a she- jumped out of the way, not realizing that Nico was approaching from behind. He had one of Leo's Celestial Bronze screw drivers in his hand. He sent it flying through her chest. She screeched and dissolved.

Taunting would have to be necessary. The other Ventus was gone now too. Dylan was surrounded by his friends, but Dylan was pretty strong. Jason ran outside, and called, "So Dylan. I guess you're too scared for a rematch, huh?"

Dylan stared at him in rage. His body dissolved into little clouds, and he floated right through the five of them. He grew his black wings again. "Of someone like you? I've seen girls scarier than you."

He ignored him. "Leo catch!" Jason threw the keys at him. Leo caught them in surprise. "I'll catch up with you." The others looked confused, but Leo understood and started running for the motor boat. The others followed.

Dylan rose into the air and Jason followed, using the wind to guide him. Dylan jabbed at Jason with his fist and caught him on the right cheek. It hurt, but Jason had an adrenaline rush. He attacked him right back.

Dylan threw hurricane force winds at Jason, but it was futile. Jason stood his ground and kept up his attack, loving every moment of it. Dylan kicked Jason stomach, and then feinted to the left when Jason retaliated.

"What are you afraid of, Jason Grace?" asked Dylan. "I'll tell you this straight up so that you and your friends won't be thinking about it. Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase are dead. They didn't survive the fall." He looked so triumphant when he said that, and so positive.

"You're lying," Jason grumbled. He could feel energy sparking off of him. He felt like a storm. "They're still alive. Nico or Hazel would've told us if they'd died."

"Please," Dylan sighed. "Hazel can barely tell if Leo is or is not her dead boyfriend. And Nico had been tortured for the past string of days. He's completely worn out. Take it from me; I've got nothing to lose. They're dead. Except it and get on with saving the world, oh great Son of Jupiter."

Hatred poured through Jason's veins. It was because of this army that they were dead. He would have his revenge.

Below, Jason saw Leo using the controls on the motor, getting all of the water out of the back on the boat by draining it. He was snapped back to his own situation by an electrocution from Dylan, who cried, "For Gaea!"

"Why say that if she's never going to do anything for you?" Jason wondered angrily, letting his blade absorb the next bolt of lightning. He slashed it in Dylan's direction, and the electricity arced off of it and went straight for Dylan, who dove down about twenty feet to escape. The air tasted metallic, like rain and blood.

"You know," Jason said as Dylan floated back up to his level. "Piper told me before we started dating that she used to like you." It was such a lie, but still worth a try.

Dylan's jaw dropped; maybe he had actually liked Piper, but it was hard to not like Piper anyway. Jason used this distraction and closed his eyes, and aimed his sword and Dylan's throat. He jumped at him and slashed his throat. Dylan gasped.

Jason called down a bolt of electricity from the sky. It hit Dylan in his chest. He let out one final cry and dissipated into rain, dust, and clouds. Jason was happy for a very long moment, since he hadn't even liked the guy when he was in Wilderness School.

He looked down at his friends. They were already speeding away towards the island, Leo with the throttle all the way down so that they were going as fast as they could. Jason followed them flying along the winds.

When he landed on the boat with his singed clothes, they all jumped up. Piper ran to Jason and threw her arms around him. When he didn't hug her back, she pulled away and looked into his sad eyes. "Hey. Why so sad? You just killed Dylan!"

Jason couldn't say the words aloud, too afraid that they would be true once he did. Piper put her hand on his cheek. "Come on, you can tell us anything."

Nico was staring at him oddly, probably wondering what he was going to say. Jason was sweating and he felt like crying. Leo was steering the boat but looking at Jason. The island was getting closer. Frank and Hazel eyed him. Jason couldn't take it. Did they need to know, or should he keep it to himself?

Jason shrugged his shoulders and looked everyone in the eye. "Nothing's wrong," he lied.

* * *

**Dear 'Bored': Your reviews will NOT make me update faster. I will right one to two chapters per week, and that's that, no matter how many things you say. Okay? Okay.**

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**-BBH**


	13. Chapter 13: Percy

**May the people who lost their lives during the shooting in Connecticut rest in peace. I'm praying for their families. **

**Sorry for Typos/OOCness. Hope you enjoy!**

**Happy Reading!**

* * *

Chapter 13

Percy

When Percy woke up, Annabeth was in his arms with a worried look on her face. He was ready to ask her what was the matter when he found out that she was still asleep. Wait… he had fallen asleep.

Crap. He hadn't wanted to do that. Had Annabeth persuaded him? Had she suddenly developed the power to charmspeak? Or had he just been a little scared of his girlfriend? He couldn't exactly remember. He hated that feeling. He'd had it for about six months.

Stretching, Percy sat up and Annabeth's head feel off of his chest. Before he could catch her, Annabeth's head hit the ground. Percy flinched; great, he had just added onto her list of problems. Her eyes cracked open. "Ouch…" she whispered groggily.

"Sorry?" Percy tried sheepishly. Apparently, having broken ribs and ankles didn't prevent her from having a good swing, because Annabeth knocked Percy in the gut with her fist. All the breath in Percy's body escaped him and he groaned. "Okay, sorry didn't work."

"You bet it didn't." Annabeth smiled at him. "Shall we get moving?"

"If you insist," moaned Percy, and they stood up and hopped in the car. Percy's sword was the only light that they had. "What happened to the hellhounds? I don't remember that much from yesterday… or whenever."

"And rightly so. You were exhausted. You fell on your face once you got out of the car. The hellhounds disappeared a while ago. I don't know where they went, but the chase bored them and they just vanished in the plains. I'm not even that sure on how we got into this tunnel system."

"Tunnel system?" asked Percy. "Is that what we're in?"

"I think so. I was asleep for a lot of the ride, but I can guess. I don't think it would be the smartest idea to turn around and head out. The dogs might be out there. I think we should keep going to forward. Who know? Maybe the Doors of Death will be down the road?"

"Yeah maybe." Percy didn't think so. Tartarus was huge. There were so many other places that these doors could be.

Annabeth threw her crutches beside her and raised her keg up to the dashboard. She gasped. The position wasn't good for her ribs. Percy leaned over and pushed her seat back so that it was like a bed. "Is that better?" he asked.

"A little bit," she answered, closing her eyes. "You don't think Tartarus has a hospital, do you?"

"Don't we wish," Percy scoffed as he eased onto the gas. He scratched his head and turned on the headlights. It didn't help much. He could still barely see anything ahead of him.

Annabeth shrugged her shoulders. "You never know."

Percy rolled down the window and listened to the howling wind and the sound of tires against stone. It freaked him out. He had the feeling that he wasn't alone… like there was someone watching him. But wasn't there always?

As an experiment, Percy called, "Hello?" Annabeth hit his arm, and gave him the _That was stupid_ look. Percy put his finger to his lips, telling her to be quiet as he listened to his voice echo in the tunnel.

"Hello," a voice said back. It was the voice of Gaea.

As if he had been electrocuted, he jerked his head inside the car and rolled up the window. "Gaea's watching us," he whispered to Annabeth.

"I know, I was going to tell you. She said something before, but no one attacked. But really, what can you expect? We're in the earth. We aren't flying, we aren't on the sea. We are in her domain." She shivered. Percy rolled the window down a little bit. The sounds had stopped.

Percy made a left turn. They drove for a while in silence. Percy usually hated it, but he kept quiet and looked ahead. It did suck that they were having to be in Gaea's realm, but there was nothing they could do about it.

"PERCY!" Annabeth cried. An hour had passed since they had last spoken.

"What?"

"It's the end of the tunnel!" She pointed ahead and sure enough, Percy could see the outline of the cave opening. There was a small bit of light at the end. Percy seriously hoped that it was sunlight and they were back at camp, but that did not seem too likely.

They went through the opening, and something bright shone down on them. Percy looked at the sky and saw a giant moon, glowing a mixture of silver and green. The sky was cloudy and ominous, and it looked like there was going to be a storm.

"Well, what do you know?" Percy asked. He was smiling for some strange reason. "There is a sky in Tartarus."

"I bet there's no sun, though," Annabeth grumbled. "And it's impossible that there could be a moon in Tartarus. A moon is a satellite that orbits the earth because of its-"

Percy snored. "Annabeth, once again, I don't need the science lesson from you. Who cares how a moon got in Tartarus? I sure don't! I'm just glad that I can actually see what's ahead of us without having to turn on the lights or wave my sword around."

"Percy, where are we anyway?"

He was not prepared to answer that.

There were rolling hills in front of him and an asphalt path that he was driving on. Like before they got to the jungle and everything, the hills seemed to stretch on forever. They were going down a steep hill right now. It was more like a mountain range than beautiful hills. All of the grass was dead and burned. Animal carcasses littered the ground. A rotten stench was blowing in from the AC.

Percy turned it off so that they could breathe again without hacking. "No idea." Percy took a look in the rearview mirror. The was a giant range of black mountains behind them, with a few tunnels here and there going into the depths of them. They would need to explore the other tunnel soon, but Percy wanted to see what was beyond the valleys first.

Annabeth turned around to see what he was looking at. "Oh, WOW! We went through the mountains. No wonder there was no light inside."

The car jerked. A red light was flashing the letter 'E'. Percy cursed. Annabeth looked at him, then at the light, and smacked her hand down. "That's just great."

Not only was the car out of gas, but something weird was happening to it. The steering wheel turn and the car turned off of the road. "Whoa," Percy said, turning it the other way, safely putting them back on the road. "That was weird."

Then the car just came to a stop on the hills. It jerked forward one last time, throwing Percy and Annabeth against the windshield, but then stopped, completely dead. Percy slammed his head against the horn, like he usually did when he was frustrated.

Annabeth peeled his head off of it. "Quit, you're giving me a headache."

"You know, this is just our luck. First, we fall down into Tartarus. Then you break your ribs and we get attacked by crazy horses. After that, we get attacked by rogue hellhounds in a glowing jungle, and now, our car loses all of its gas, goes a little freaky, dies, and we're stuck in the middle of nowhere near a mountain."

"Yes, Percy, that pretty much sums up our little predicament. But we can't do anything. Might as well get out of the car now and start going on foot." Annabeth donned her crutches. Percy put an arm out a stopped her from opening the door. She relaxed back into her seat and looked him in the eyes. "What?"

"Shouldn't we make a plan first? You are the Queen of Planning!"

"Thanks, I'm honored. But there's no point."

"Are you sure you can walk?"

"No, I cannot walk, and this'll tire me out, and there's nothing we can do about it. Unless you feel like carrying me the entire way to the Doors of Death? I think I'd like that." Annabeth smiled at him.

"Well, if you ask really nicely, I m- Hey, what's going on?" Percy looked around. He could feel and see them moving slowly down the hill, picking up speed.

"Put on the brakes!" cried Annabeth. Percy slammed his foot down. The Fiat did not stop. He tried it again. Nothing at all.

"What are you doing? This isn't funny!" Annabeth was near panic. They were getting faster. "Stop the car! We're gonna crash!"

"It won't stop!" He slammed his foot down for about the fifth time. The car still did not respond to his efforts. "Why won't it stop?" He knew the answer. Somehow, Gaea was still toying with them. She was probably laughing at how ridiculous they seemed.

"Oh no." Annabeth gasped.

"What?"

"We have to jump out of the car. Now!"

"What? Why!" Annabeth opened her mouth, but the closed it, too shocked to answer his question.

Percy should have jumped. He hesitated too long. They reached the bottom of the hill, and their speed made them go right back up the other, smaller hill. The car flew off of it and into the air. Percy waited for them to land again.

He looked out of the car. His jaw dropped along with his stomach. Annabeth was screaming and gripping his arm, but he couldn't do anything. He couldn't even feel her touch. He was numb with terror. They were flying through the air. They had driven unwillingly off of a cliff. Percy had definitely not done that. Gaea had.

The front of the car dipped down, and not for the first time, Percy could only wait for the impact.

* * *

**What's your favorite Christmas song? Mine is Carol of the Bells:)**

**You guys know my story on CodeName-Athena? The Asylum? I'll try to update soon, but ChildOfWisdom does not have a computer right now. We're working hard on updating!**

**Reviews/Ideas are loved. Check out my story, You and Me, Against the World. It's a PJO romance, only three chapters. I finished it last night!**

**-BBH**


	14. Chapter 14: Nico

**Thanks for the reviews! I hope you all enjoy the chapter! Love ya!**

**Sorry for Typos/OOCness!**

**Happy Reading!**

* * *

Chapter 14

Nico

Once they reached the island of Ioannina, Nico jumped off of the boat first and landed in a bunch of salt water. He glared at Leo. "Are docks not good enough for you or something?"

Leo shrugged. "I don't know how to tie a boat off onto a dock without having it float away."

Nico raised an eyebrow. "Yet you can build and sail a giant Greek trireme?"

"Pretty much!"

"Great." Nico frowned at the water. From afar, it looked crystal clear and a beautiful shade of blue and green. But when you got up close, it was a murky brown. There were little creatures scurrying and disturbing the water. A little crab dug itself into the sand and sent a plume into the ocean.

Nico, like Hazel, wasn't really fond of the ocean. It was probably just a child of Hades/Pluto thing, but at least he didn't get sea sick like Hazel did. Her face was green as she sat on the boat. She had her head over the side and was groaning.

They were about twenty yards from the shore. The water was choppy and up to Nico's chest. He shivered and motioned the rest of them into the water.

"I think I'll pass," Jason said, smiling cleverly. He picked up Piper and flew over to the beach. Nico envied him briefly for not having to get it the stupid ocean. He tried his best not to complain as they swan and splashed to the beach. The others stayed away from him, probably because of the evil looked on his face.

Nico was thoroughly soaked when he rode a wave in and hobbled onto the sand, collapsing down. He spit out a mouthful of water like a fountain. His throat was dry from the salt. He was pretty sure he had seaweed in his hair, and it was confirmed by Piper when she reached down and pulled it out of his hair. "Seaweed really isn't your thing. Maybe for Percy, but not for you."

"Ha, ha." Frank helped him to his feet. He shook some sand off of his clothes. "So, where do we go now?"

Everyone just stared back at him. Someone coughed. Nico, confused, said, "What? Was it something I said?"

Jason shook his head. "No, it's just… aren't you the one that already came here? Don't you remember anything? How did you get to Tartarus in the first place?"

"Um," Nico said. "I never actually came here. I looked around Greece for a while, and finally it was just too aggravating. I shadow traveled into the Underworld and went to the edge of Tartarus, just to see if I could get any information on where the Doors of Death were, and I was sucked in."

"So, you don't know where the Doors of Death are?"

"Well, they're obviously in the House of Hades, as I've said a million times. But no, I don't know the exact location. I have seen the place in my dreams, though. And the other pair of Doors are in Tartarus, obviously."

The six trudged up the dunes. No one was on the island. It seemed as if the entire place had been abandoned. There were beach chairs and umbrellas turned over and ripped to pieces. Nico could see a little nest of birds hidden under one umbrella. They squawked when he walked past them.

There were three cars stranded on the road with no one inside of them. Dust and sand covered an old pickup truck, a really ugly blue thing from the 1960's. There was an old convertible with the top down, and water had ruined the inside of the car, which was a shame, considering how awesome it was. Then, there was a pretty new Trail Blazer, only a few years old. But the sides were dented and the back was completely crushed like it had been in a crash. There was gas leaking out of two of the cars and collecting on the ground.

"The owners of these cars clearly haven't been here lately," murmured Piper. Nico kicked a spare piece of metal across the road. "I doubt they even work," she continued.

"They probably all ran away when they realized that once dead creatures came off of the island," Leo said matter-of-factly.

"The House is somewhere around here." Nico observed what was around them, which was pretty much nothing. There were giant weeping willows and beautiful green hills, but no signs of a cave or temple. There was no passageway that would lead them underground. He shrugged. "Let's just keep walking."

It was kind of funny how fast the scenery changed from Jersey Shore to Going to the Chapel. Nico felt like he was in a wedding scene. The ironic part was how beautiful the island really was considering the powers it had.

"I swear, if Tulip was lying…" Jason mumbled, kicking a stone.

"I don't think so," Hazel said. "There was nothing for her to gain by lying. The giants want to enslave the nymphs." She stopped for a second, completely still. The others kept walking, but Nico stood next to her and arched an eyebrow.

"There's something underground," she said slowly. "Giant tunnels that stretch across the island."

Hazel's powers were a little bit different than Nico's, but he didn't know why. Perhaps it was the fact that she was Roman and he was Greek, but she was great at the underground things, and they were both great with the Underworld things.

"Hey!" Frank called from up ahead. He was staring intently at the ground. "I think I found something, You guys better come and check it out."

Everyone circled around him, and Nico saw what he was talking about. There was a little, stone circle. It wasn't too big, but only big enough for about three of them to stand on. Nico knocked his hand against it and put his ear down next to the stone. He heard the sound echo. "It's hollow," he announced, standing up.

All of a sudden, the ground shook. It rumbled. The little pebbles bounced up and down. Nico had been in earthquakes way too many times, and he fought the urge to get down and cover his head like he had been taught. This didn't seem like any normal earthquake, but he couldn't explain it. Nico gulped. "Earthquake?" asked Leo, who was trying to keep his balance. Nico shook his head and got ready to answer.

The ground underneath them opened up like a mouth, and with screams of shock and horror, they all fell into the darkness below.

The fall was so short that they didn't even have time to do anything. Within five seconds, they landed down on hard dirt. Nico gasped in pain as his shoulder connected first and his slid across the ground. He bumped into someone, but his eyes were closed so that he couldn't see. He gasped as his back hit hard rock.

Nico cracked his eyes open, but he only saw near darkness. He looked above, and the beautiful wedding scene was gone. There were torches on the wall, lit with normal fire, not the green Greek fire from his dream. The light created shadows in the little room they were in.

Nico tried to stand up but gasped and lowered his body back down. Something seriously hurt. "Is everyone okay," asked Jason from some place that Nico couldn't see.

Everyone's voices answered except for Nico's. He tried to say something, but instead coughed loudly. "Nico?" asked Hazel. "Where are you?"

He heard their feet scurrying around the room. "I'm over here," he managed with difficulty.

"Where is 'over here'?" asked Leo. "Wait! I got an idea! MARCO!"

Leo was such an idiot sometimes. "POLO," Nico called back, his voice shaky but dripping with sarcasm.

"There you are!" said Piper, and they came towards him. "What's wrong?" she asked. There were a couple things, and it took Nico a minute to exactly pinpoint where the pain was coming from.

"My shoulder," he decided. Jason knelt next to him and helped him sit up. Then, as if he had done it a thousand times before, which he probably had, Jason observed his left shoulder. He poked it, and Nico hissed in pain.

"You dislocated your shoulder," Jason concluded. "This will only take a second. It is going to hurt though." Great, Jason was probably just going to love doing this. Nico braced himself, and in a flash, Jason set his shoulder. He yelped and banged his head against the wall behind him.

"Done," Jason said. "It might throb for a little bit, but you should be fine." He helped Nico to his feet. Nico brushed himself off and leaned against the rock wall on his good shoulder.

"So, what just happened?" asked Frank. "Are we in Tartarus?"

Nico shook his head. "The fall to Tartarus is a lot longer, believe me. I think we're in the House of Hades."

"Do all underground temples have freaky stones that cause earthquakes to open up portals?" Leo joked, but Nico answered back seriously, "Usually they don't, but I bet all of the ones you'll have to see will."

Nico looked this way and that. He pointed to where there was a line of torches. "My guess is that we should head that way. It's our best bet and there isn't any other corridor."

Nico set off and listened to them fall into step behind him. Soon enough, when the corridor was wide enough, they all walked in a line. Nico grabbed one of the torches off of the wall and held it in front of them so that they could see more than a few feet ahead.

"So," Piper started off. "Nico…"

He turned to look at her. "Yes?"

"Well, you've been to Tartarus."

"Yes." There was no doubt about that. But he didn't really want to answer any questions about it. It still gave him a headache like it had about a day ago.

"I wanted to know-"

"Hey! Free weapons!" Leo interrupted. They all turned to look at him. The hallway had forked off, but the one way was a very short dead end. The end was stock piled full of weapons. Nico saw some that were Stygian Iron, like his old sword. They were celestial bronze, imperial gold, silver, wooden, just all different kinds.

He walked to where Leo was and picked up the Stygian Iron sword. It greatly resembled his old sword, but it was longer. The grip felt different, but he needed some type of weapon that he was used to. He shoved the torch into Leo's hand and rummaged through the pile. "Do you guys need anything?"

In the end, Frank got an extra quiver of bows, Hazel got a new _spatha_, and Jason got another javelin that he strapped onto his back. Also included in the pile was tons of ambrosia, nectar, and other supplies that Nico couldn't name.

"Why would this place have so many supplies just lying out in the middle of the hallway?" asked Frank.

"Maybe they were waiting here for us," guess Jason.

"Or maybe it's a trap," Nico said. "It's the more reasonable conclusion. The giants are probably trying to lure us down here to try and kill us at the Doors of Death so that we'll never get to close them."

On that happy note, they quickly left the dead end and continued through the hallways. "This is kind of like the Labyrinth," Nico murmured, as he observed the ceiling and walls.

"The what?" asked Hazel.

"Nothing."

Grass roots were dangling from the ceiling now. One of the longer ones brushed against his head. The torches were still made of normal fire, not the ghostly green type from his dreams. Really, this place wasn't at all like the one from his dreams.

"Um, Nico?" someone coughed.

He whirled. Piper was trying to talk to him again. "Yes?" he asked.

"So about Tartarus-"

"What do you want to know?" he asked. He was going to regret asking, he knew it. He could already feel the migraine forming.

"You must have some idea of what Percy and Annabeth are going through. Do you mind telling us? I just want to know. It would make me feel less worried." She smiled at him, and everyone else stared at him, inviting him to tell him everything that had happened.

The only person that wasn't making eye contact was Jason. He stared at his feet like he knew something they didn't. Nico's eyes narrowed, but he didn't confront Jason, even though he knew he should've.

Nico thought back to his time in Tartarus. He remembered the voices, the falling, screaming… and then nothing. His memory hit a blank wall. The next thing he remembered was getting saved by Percy, Jason, and Piper. The headache was worse than ever. He thought harder. What had he done? Where were the Doors of Death down there? He was positive he had seen them. He was completely sure he had been to Tartarus too. Why couldn't he remember?

"You can tell us anything," Hazel said gently. It was the same thing Piper had said to Jason only an hour before. And now, Nico was almost positive that Jason had been lying when he said that nothing was wrong.

He thought back to after the fall once more, but there was nothing. His head felt like it was going to explode, and he sighed with defeat.

"I can't remember," he realized, horror creeping into his body.

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**Well, ain't that great? Nico has amnesia, just like Percy and Jason did! ****Do you think I should write a PJO Christmas Oneshot? Tell me in a review! **

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**Reviews and ideas are loved! I'll try to update either before or on Christmas!**

**-BBH**


	15. Chapter 15: Annabeth

**Thanks for the reviews! Hope you enjoy! And hey! We survived the Apocalypse! Which means that we will live to get the House of Hades! VICTORY! **

**Sorry about typos/OOCness! **

**Happy Reading!**

* * *

Chapter 15

Annabeth

Considering she had already almost fallen to her death before, Annabeth should have been prepared for it again. But she wasn't.

Not in the slightest.

At least this time she could see the ground. It wasn't that much of a fall, but it wasn't like they were falling into water. The ground below was made of ice.

She looked at Percy, who was gaping at the area in front of them. His one hand was still gripping the steering wheel while their fingers were intertwined. His mouth moved but Annabeth couldn't hear him over her own useless screaming.

On instinct, she turned her head away from windshield and closed her eyes, bracing for impact.

It hit her like a bullet. The cold water and ice cracked the glass of the car and slammed her backwards. Her eyes open as waves came into the car and into her mouth. The airbags came out and slammed into her chest so painfully that she felt like she had cracked another rib. She wasn't even sure that her foot was still on her.

She choked on the water and coughed it out, only to have more and more come in. She finally just closed her mouth. Her hair was floating all around her. The car sunk down deeper in the water.

She looked around, trying to see through the air bubbles that were rising around their car. Through them, she saw a flash of frizzy hair that looked like Percy's and some braces. A laugh erupted in the water, and Annabeth didn't know where it was coming from.

Feeling worried, she turned her head to the side to look at her boyfriend.

Percy was obviously breathing normally, being an enviable son of the sea god. He had his sword out and used it to pop the airbags in the car. He must've been oblivious to the evil cackling. Then he leaned back and started kicking at the window, trying to break it.

Annabeth wanted to say something logical. You couldn't exactly break a windshield, since most of it was infused with plastic, but you had to move it off.

She even forgot that she needed air until her lungs started to burn. She reached over and thwacked Percy on the head. The water slowed her fingers down, but he turned to look at her. He gave her the _Oh yeah _look. She saw little bubbles coming out of her mouth, and one of them grew until it was around her head and Percy's upper bodies.

She spit out a mouth full of water. It wasn't salt water, but it wasn't exactly fresh either. She picked out seaweed and looked at Percy, who was staring intently at her. "Are you cold?" he asked glancing around them cautiously.

She'd barely even realized how cold she was because of the shock she was in. But slowly, she stared to feeling numbness in her legs, a little tingling sensation. Her teeth began to chatter.

"Yeah, a little bit," she answered.

The bubble expanded so that it covered her entire body, but she didn't feel any warmer. She heard Percy gulp. "Oh gods…" he muttered, leaning forward to examine her stomach area. She put her hand against it and cringed. A thick substance rubbed off on her fingers.

"Of course this happens," she said, studying the blood. Percy's eyebrows furrowed in that annoyingly cute way, but she waved him off. "It's not that bad. Just a few cut. Nothing else broke."

"Are you sure?" he asked, gripping her hand.

She nodded. It didn't even hurt. Nothing hurt. Percy turned ahead and continued to kicked and punched at the glass. It started to lift off and he pushed it forward. Slowly, it floated away in the water.

"Percy," Annabeth said. "Did you hear that laughing from before?"

"What laughing?"

"There was some girl laughing. She was floating around in the water, watching us a few minutes ago. She started laughing."

Percy's back straightened. "What did this girl look like?"

"She had black hair and braces, but that's all I could see. Her hair kind of looked like yours."

His eyes darkened and he bit his lip. "This is not good," he mumbled. "I know her." He grabbed her hand and pushed them off. "I don't want to make you have to do this, but you have to swim. We need to get out of here before she comes back."

"She? Who're you talking about?"

"Kate," he answered simply. "I mean, Keto."

"Wonderful." Percy had already told Annabeth about Keto. She should've guessed it. Percy, Frank, and Coach Hedge had met the sea monster Keto and her husband Phorcys while they were in Atlanta, Georgia a few days ago.

"Let's get out of here before Porky shows up too."

Percy grabbed her by the waist. Forget about making her swim; he shot through the water like a rocket. Annabeth hadn't realized how far they had drifted down in the water. Her ears popped with the pressure changes.

All seemed fine until her head banged against something and she nearly screamed.

Her boyfriend swore and banged his shoulder against the wall of ice that prevented them from exiting the water. Annabeth felt like she was coming down with hypothermia and her vision was getting tunnel-like. Some daughter of Athena she was. She couldn't even protect herself.

Percy banged his hand against the ice. It didn't even help them at all. Sighing with defeat, he pulled her down a little bit and muttered something.

Using his good arm that wasn't wrapped around Annabeth, Percy waved it straight up in the air. Annabeth watched in wonder as bit of the water surrounding them hardened into little spears. Then, at the same time, they all shot up at the ice.

They tore the ice to shreds. It broke apart as if it were made of nothing. Annabeth and Percy kicked until they surfaced. She hadn't realized that she was holding her breath until the bubble popped.

She hacked into the ice and crawled on her stomach, collapsing on the frozen water.

She felt someone rubbing her back. She turned her head to the side and saw Percy looking down at her. He had her blood on his fingers.

"My crutches are gone," she grumbled, resting her head on her hand.

"I know," he said. "And to think I worked so hard on those."

She smiled. "And now the car is gone too."

"Ha, yeah. There's nothing we can do about that, now is there?"

"I suppose there isn't." She sat up and looked below them. The ice was crystal clear so that she could see below them. The water was really deep and dark black. She couldn't even see the car anywhere.

The laughter came again. It was deeper. She could here Kate's, but there was also an older voice, not Gaea. It was a male voice.

This time, Percy could hear it too. "We shouldn't stay here." They both rose up, and Percy started to carry her piggyback style. "I make you a new pair of crutches," he promised.

"Out of what?" They were on ice, for crying out loud. That wasn't going to help them much.

"Well- Hey… feel how warm it is!"

"Warm?" She didn't realize what he meant until she found out that she was sweating. The air had to be 90 degrees, yet there was ice all around them, and the water temperature was definitely in the negatives. "That's strange." It was like Annabeth in Wonderland.

"Look at that!" said Percy.

Annabeth looked off in the distance. Right where the moon was hanging in the sky was a giant building, kind of like a house. Actually, more like a bunch of houses stacked on top of each other. It looked like a misshapen creation. The green sky seemed to get darker around it, like a giant storm was happening. She did not want to go anywhere near that place. There was something about it that just didn't seem right.

"It's a house!" Percy exclaimed, as if Annabeth hadn't seen that already. "Maybe there's someone there that can help you!"

"Really? In Tartarus? That's unlikely."

And right behind them, Annabeth heard footsteps. Loud ones like an army. Just as she was getting ready to turn around, she heard a female voice scream, "ATTACK THE DEMIGODS! AIM TO KILL!"

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**This is short because I'm gonna post a really important chapter on Christmas, which is only 2 days away, so stay tuned! **

**I went to the movies yesterday to finally see Breaking Dawn Part 2. It was by far the best movie out of them all. I loved how they ended it by showing the final page of the book. Well, anyway, have a great night! I love you guys so much! You're all just awesome!**

**Review/Ideas are loved! Merry Almost Christmas!**

**-BBH**


	16. Chapter 16: Jason

**Merry Christmas!**

**Sorry for typos/OOCness!**

**Happy Reading!**

* * *

Chapter 16

Jason

"You have to be kidding me," Jason mumbled under his breath, kicking a mini boulder with anger.

Nico was an amnesiac? Seriously? That was the last thing that they needed. Nico was supposed to be the guy who knew where to go and what to do. But he didn't even remember what had happened while he had been in Tartarus.

"Try harder to remember," Jason pushed.

"Yeah, really think back to it," Leo added.

"Guys, I can't try harder than I already am," groaned Nico. "No one wants to remember more than I do, considering it was me who was in Tartarus."

"Lay off a little bit," Hazel said, patting Nico's shoulder. "He'll remember when he can."

"Yeah, there's no sense in pressuring him," Piper said. "It's like when you had amnesia Jason. The more we tried to make you remember, the worse it got. All we can do is hope that the memories come back to him sometime."

A horrible thought struck Jason. "You guys don't think it was Juno, do you?"

The cavern seemed to get even darker than it already was. A torch on the wall went out by a sudden gust of wind. The torch they were holding went out too. The only light in the entire place was the fire that was floating across Leo's palm. Frank inched away from him.

"That seems right," Nico said furiously. "Hera has hated me for years."

"Why?" Frank asked, still eyeballing the fire.

"Well, Hera only likes to have the perfect family, and a son of Hades apparently does not fit into that. She pretty much gave me up for the Titans, thinking I was useless and unwanted."

"That's terrible!" cried Hazel, throwing her arms up in the air. "Why would she say something like that?"

"It's not what she said, it's what she did. I was stuck on a ranch with Percy, Annabeth, Tyson, and Grover." Half of them opened their mouths to ask questions, but Nico put his hand up to stop them. "Don't even ask, just listen.

"So Hera was 'friends' with Percy and Annabeth back then, so she paid for them to be able to pass through the ranch. Not me. So Percy challenged Geryon- again, don't even ask- to let me go, and Percy won, so I also got to leave. In the middle of the night, I left them."

"Like left the ranch or left all of them?"

"All of them. I wasn't the best of friends with Percy back then for personal reasons. But after that quest was finished, Percy and Annabeth kind of got mad at Hera for a lot of things, including what happened to me, and they became enemies. And that's the story of why we all hate Hera's guts. Yay, story time is over, let's get a move on."

Nico began to trudge ahead, leaving everyone else. Jason stayed frozen for a second, processing what had just happened, before following the son of Hades.

Jason walked up next to Nico. The shadows made him look even more ominous than usual.

"What do you want?" asked Nico with a sighing breath.

"You really must remember something more than just falling. Even when I had amnesia I could remember glimpses of battles and a few names. What happened? You have to try and think."

Nico looked horrible. "I'm not sure. I mean, there was the fall…"

"Let's start with that. What happened there?"

"Um, there were a bunch of voices calling to me. And once I got too close to the pit, it sucked me in. The fall was really long. I kept hitting the rocks and stuff. I think I got knocked out for a little while, and then when I woke up, I was still falling."

Jason gulped. Some fall that had to be. He thought back to what Dylan had told him. Percy and Annabeth were dead. But no…. if Nico had survived the fall and everything else, they had to be able to, right? But still, Jason wasn't sure.

"After that?" asked Jason.

"Pain," Nico said automatically. "When I landed there was so much pain. I couldn't breathe for the longest time. I just laid there doing nothing for the longest time."

_Long enough to get attacked and killed_, Jason wanted to say, but he didn't. He wasn't sure if he was ready to tell everyone his burden. What would they say about it?

"And after that?"

"I got up eventually. I think I broke a few fingers, but that was okay. I'd lost my sword in the fall, which really sucked. I wandered around for a long time."

They were really getting somewhere. This was good. "What did the area look like?"

"Nothing. It was all like a waste land, or a desert. There weren't any monsters, and the ones that did attack just seemed to pop up out of nowhere. It was crazy. And there was only a little moon… and the sky was green I think." Nico winced and put his hands on his temples.

"What attacked you?"

"I'm not sure," Nico whispered.

"What do you mean?" Jason asked shocked. "Come on, you were on a role!"

"I really don't know. My memory after that is just gone. Gods, Jason! Put me down!"

Jason hadn't realized that he had grabbed Nico by the shirt and started shaking him in the air. Slowly, he lowered the kid down. He was sort of embarrassed, but suddenly just really mad. They needed to know what was going on in Tartarus.

"Jason!" gasped Piper running over and pushing him back a little. "What's gotten into you?"

_I have no idea._ Jason shook his head and shrugged his shoulders.

"I'm sure Nico will remember more when he can, but that is clearly not now," Hazel said.

Frank and Leo looked they were too scared to get near him. They were actually standing next to each other, even with fire in Leo's palms, and looked ready to jump into action if needed.

Jason started walking on. "What's gotten into me?" he asked himself, so softly that no one else could hear.

Jason heard someone coming up to him as they continued through the maze of walls and stone. He was thoroughly surprised when he saw that it was Nico.

"Sorry," Jason said quietly.

Nico waved his hand. "Don't worry about. I'm used to mood swings. But I have my own question to ask you now."

"And what is that?"

"What did Dylan tell you?"

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. I know Dylan told you something while you were fighting. I saw you guys talking to each other, so do not try to say that never happened. And whatever he said is clearly haunting you, so fess up. If it was something about Percy and Annabeth, then we all want to hear."

Apparently everyone else was listening too, because they all looked at him with expecting eyes. He couldn't lie to any of them, especially Piper. Her kaleidoscope eyes were huge and curious.

Jason took a deep breath. "Dylan told me that Percy and Annabeth were already dead."

It got so silent that you could've dropped a pin and heard it. Then all at once everyone started talking.

"NO!" screamed Piper, tears coming to her eyes. Hazel was by her side, mumbling something.

Frank and Leo's jaws were practically on the ground. Nessie was on top of Leo's head, walking in little circles. Nico just shook his head. "That's not possible though. I would've known. He has to be lying. He's just trying to get to us." But even he sounded unsure.

"Yeah," Piper agreed, her voice thick. She wiped away some tears. "They can't be dead. If anyone can make it through Tartarus, it's them."

Everyone mumbled in agreement. Jason felt a little better. That is until he looked in front of himself and lost all of his breath.

"Looks like we made it to the House of Hades," Nico said.

Jason looked around the new area they were in. He was confused as to why they hadn't seen any monsters yet, and that wasn't right, but the new area was quite impressive, even if it was scary and plain.

There was a giant gate made of black iron that stretched to the ceiling of the cave. Greek fire replaced the regular fire along the walls, and Leo extinguished the flame in his hand.

"This is the place from my dreams," Nico said. "This must be the entrance to the House of Hades."

"But that says 'Gate of No Return'," Frank pointed out. "Not 'House of Hades'."

"Maybe it's just a saying," said Piper. "Maybe they're warning us to stay away or we'll never return."

Nico kept glancing up at the ceiling, like he expected something to appear.

"Well, first, we need to learn how to actually get the gate open. There's a lock." Nico stepped forward and showed them the giant lock like he was Vanna White. "And we can't climb over the fence. I doubt Jason can take us all without dropping us on our heads, so someone needs to find out how to open this thing up."

"Pfft," scoffed Leo. "You act like I'm not even here. Son of Hephaestus at your service."

He came forward and reached into his tool belt. He pulled out a key. "It's universal," he explained, putting it inside the lock. He twisted it around and there was a click. The gate swung open with a loud, horror-movie creak.

"Ta da!"

"Here goes nothing," whispered Jason. "Time to close these Doors of Death once and for all."

At the same time, they stepped through the gates. Jason heard a scream from one of the girls, a gasp from Frank. Leo cursed. Someone, maybe Leo or Nico, or both, knocked into him hard. But he wasn't really paying attention, because everything was spinning and he felt like he was going to throw up all over everyone. He couldn't even see them.

When the spinning stopped, and the lights started to flicker on, Jason heard multiple gasps. He could barely see what was in front of him.

"Well, this sure doesn't look like the House of Hades," said Nico. Jason blinked a few times so that he could finally see. His jaw dropped.

No, it certainly did not.

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**Dun. Dun. DUN! Whadaya think this may mean?**

**So, how was your Christmas? What was your favorite part of the holiday? I got a lot of books!**

**Reviews/Ideas are loved! Maybe as a Christmas present?**

**-BBH**


	17. Chapter 17: Percy

**Hey! You guys know my story, You and Me Against the World? Yeah… well, you know how each chapter begins with a bit of the song Radioactive by Imagine Dragons? Well, if you watch the music video, Alexandra Daddario (Girl who plays Annabeth in the movies) stars in it! Weird, right? But it's a really good video! It'll make you laugh, but it is epic and a little bit creepy!**

**Sorry for typos/OOCness! I hope you enjoy!**

**Happy reading!**

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Chapter 17

Percy

Keto stood on the ice, showing off her huge braces. Her frizzy hair was wet and matted down. She looked freakishly happy as she waved her arms like she was on an airplane runway, motioning for whatever the army was to surge forward.

Percy and Annabeth did not move. They just watched. There was no army coming after them. But Percy had heard the footsteps… where were they? Had it just been an illusion?

Keto straightened her name badge that said Kate. She pushed up her glasses and coughed. She was bouncing on the balls of her feet like she was excited about something, and Percy could take a pretty good guess as to what that was.

"Oh, is this the daughter of Athena?" Keto said excitedly. "I've been aching to meet her."

"You must be delusional," sneered Annabeth. "There is no army, you idiot. Why don't you just crawl back into the water and do what sea monsters do the best. Nothing."

It was so unlike Annabeth to say things that harsh that Percy even snickered. Keto gaped at them. "Well, that was rude. And to think I was going to give all this important information about Scylla and Charybdis, and how the make loving house pets and-"

"Did you just say Scylla and Charybdis?" choked Percy, raising a finger.

"Well, of course I did," laughed Keto, as if it meant nothing. "I mean what better way to take down two demigods than let creatures who want revenge do it for you?"

"You don't want revenge on Percy?" asked Annabeth.

"No, I'd rather let my little babies do it for me. They'd been dying to see you again, you know?" She shifted her glasses on the bridge of her nose and shook out her hair. She was still wearing the same clothes from the aquarium.

Percy glanced down in the water and gulped. Now that he was paying more attention, he could see that the water underneath the ice was churning restlessly, like the ocean always did. "Are we on the ocean?" Percy decided to ask, slowly taking a step backwards.

"Silly." Keto threw her head back with a laugh. Percy took two tiny steps away from her. "Of course we're on the ocean. Could you imagine having these kinds of beasties in a lake? I sure couldn't." She shivered. "Ugh, the thought of such a thing!"

"What did a lake ever do to you?" asked Percy.

Annabeth kicked him with her good foot. "Now you're just being an idiot."

Keto didn't seem to be catching on that quick. She seemed delighted by the question, even though it was meant to get on her nerves as much as it got on Annabeth's. "Well, it wasn't actually a lake. It was a river. There was this naiad with greenish hair that just wouldn't leave me alone. I don't even know why she was trying to talk to me, because I was way too busy, and I only talk to Nereid's. But this girl was so annoying, you know?"

"I can imagine," Percy groaned.

"But enough about my problems- that is unless you want to hear more- let's get back to yours. My dearies are hungry. They've been waiting."

"I'm sure they have been," Annabeth said. Percy took another step back. Then another. "But please continue with your fascinating stories. They so informational and interesting. I can't believe Disney hasn't made a movie about them yet!"

"I know, that's how I feel. Heracles gets a movie and I don't?"

Percy turned his head and looked into Annabeth's eyes. They looked like miniature hurricanes. "Run," she breathed, and Percy bolted away, still carrying Annabeth.

Keto was still talking to them. "And then, one time, this giant squid- hey! Where're you going?" she called.

"Keep going!" screamed Annabeth in his ear. Percy ran away faster.

"Go on, my babies!" Keto said behind them, her voice loud so they could hear. "Get them and kill them. This should've happened a while ago!" She sounded as angry as she had before they'd started the conversation.

"Remember," she continued. "AIM TO KILL!"

"Why don't you just attack us yourself?" taunted Percy. "You seem pretty weak to me, just like you were in the aquarium. By the way, how is Porky doing? Is he down here in Tartarus with you too?"

Keto screamed in rage. Annabeth locked her fingers around Percy's neck. She was shaking with what many people would think to be fear, but Percy knew Annabeth much better than most people. She was angry that she couldn't fight, and she wanted to.

The house in the distance was getting closer. Percy was sweating from the air temperature, yet he was trying his best not to slip on the ice. If Percy hadn't been running for his and his girlfriend's lives, he might have laughed at how ironic the situation was.

"Percy!" Annabeth said. She unlocked one of her arms and pointed ahead of them. "Look! The ground's changing!"

He squinted his eyes and looked. She was right. He could see the white turn into a light tan tint. There was sand ahead. He ran even faster. His lungs ached for air and sweat poured off of him. Something was stuck in his throat.

"GET THEM!" Keto screamed. "Perseus Jackson! Annabeth Chase! You will never escape, even if you think you have. We are always watching. Gaea is always watching you demigods."

Percy kept running but turned his head around to see behind them. The ice broke, and Scylla's many heads broke through the surface, arching toward Percy and Annabeth. The ice continued to split as the monster kept getting closer.

With a tug in his stomach, Percy summoned a tidal wave to break the ice directly behind him, but not the ice ahead of them. The wave pushed behind them with such force that Percy and Annabeth were thrown through the air.

They flipped once and landed on top of Percy. It wasn't that hard of a landing, but they skidded across the ice, rolling over each other. Every time Annabeth grunted from Percy's weight on her broken bones he cringed.

They stopped once they hit a large rock. Percy hopped up off of Annabeth. There was blood on her clothes. "I'm fine," she said, seeing his expression. Percy helped her up to her one good foot. She leaned against him. "Nice wave, though."

Percy looked back at the destruction he had created. The wave rose twenty feet in the air and broke everything around it. It smothered the monsters back into the ocean. They shrieked, and he could see the heads rolling around.

That's when Percy realized that his fist was clenched. He opened it up. The wave fell down with a giant splash. The ocean was exposed, and most of the ice was gone. Percy could see the cliffs that they had fallen off of.

Something floated to the surface of the ocean, just once.

Annabeth and Percy laughed. It was the Fiat, completely destroyed. The windows were smashed and the front end was smashed up, falling apart. It bobbed and then fell back under the water to where it would never see the sky again. At least the little sea creatures would have a nice home to live in now.

Rising out of the water came Keto. She looked mad.

Percy readied his sword in front of him and pushed Annabeth behind him, against the rock. She tried to protest but didn't get that far.

"Run, demigods," she hissed. Her bubbly voice was gone. "My monsters will not attack you anymore."

"Why? Are they too scared of what we're going to do to them?"

"Not in the slightest." She smiled creepily. "But even I know that there's a bigger chance that you'll die going where you desire rather than die from my babies. So go on, demigods. Try to find someone to help you. I promise, there is no one."

Keto tapped her foot. She was standing on the water, not the ice. She was getting impatient.

"What would make us trust you?" asked Annabeth, tilting her chin up defiantly.

"There's nothing in the world that would make you trust me, but this is true. That," she said pointing at the house in front of them, "Is much more dangerous than monsters. But considering you're desperate, I guess you'll have to go there."

"Why?"

The mother of sea monsters just shook her head. Her body dissolved into water and splashed into the surf. Keto was gone for now, but Percy knew they had bigger things to worry about.

Taking Annabeth's hand, Percy walked away from the ocean. The feeling under his feet was different, and he realized that he was walking on sand now. They were on the shore and off of the ice. Thank the gods for that.

But in front of Percy was the giant, mismatched building. A barbed wire fence wrapped around the building and blocked taking any other path. It stretched as far as Percy could see. The doors were in front of them and the moon was shining over them.

They had no choice but to go inside.

* * *

**Have you ever just wanted to bang your head against a wall, screaming, "Angst! Angst!" Like Harry from Harry Potter Puppet Pals (Very Funny Videos!)? Yep, that's how I feel right now...**

**Review and ideas are loved! Thanks for 900+ reviews. You guys are so, so, SO amazing!**

**-BBH**


	18. Chapter 18: Nico

**Hey guys! Happy New Year! It's 2013! This chapter is for everyone who keeps asking for some Nico action. In my opinion, he's pretty badass in this chapter. **

**Sorry for typos/OOCness! I hope you enjoy! I'm jamming out to Bitter Sweet Symphony by the Verve and I'm on a Dance Moms marathon! Woohoo! And I have school tomorrow... *Insert Heartbroken tears here***

**Happy Reading!**

* * *

Chapter 18

Nico

They were at the beach?

That's what it seemed like. It sure didn't seem like Tartarus, and for a second, Nico believed that they had somehow been taken to the Isles of the Blest, in Elysium. His shoulders fell with relief, and he brushed off some sand from his jeans.

But then he looked over at his friends. They all looked horrified, like the worst thing in the world had just happened to them. Okay, so it didn't look like they were at the House of Hades. But really, none of them had ever been inside of it. It very well could be the House of Hades on Extreme Makeover.

"Where the heck are we?" asked Frank, scooping up a handful of sand and letting it fall through his fingers.

"Well, this sure doesn't look like the House of Hades," Nico said. He was starting to realize just how hot it was. There was midday heat, probably in the 90's, and his jacket was not helping him at all. He kept it on anyway; it was the last thing that was his that he actually had with him.

"You think?" laughed Leo, kicking a puff of sand in the air. The sea breeze blew it back onto their clothes. "I don't remember hearing about any sandy beaches in anything that had a title with 'Hades' in it."

Nico scowled momentarily but wiped it off of his face. No need to get into fights now.

Instead, they all studied the surrounding areas. The waves were huge and lapped against the shore, and the water was the color of the sky, just bright blue but with a bit of sea green. There were a few surfers floating way out, waiting for the perfect wave to roll in. A few people were in beach chair, sun bathing, while a few little kids built sand castles and splashed in the water.

The vegetation behind them was a little thick, and mountains rose in a jagged form. They reminded Nico of different parts of the Fields of Asphodel. Amazingly giant resorts lined the area way down on the beach, where they could see huge crowds of people. Their roar was a faint echo and did not even disrupt the peace of their side of the beach. The entire scene looked photo-shopped, yet it was real.

Behind them directly were extravagant beach homes that Nico had always secretly dreamed he could live in. Palm trees were in their backyards along with crystal clear pools and patios with fire pits. They must've each cost over a million dollars.

"Hey, how do we get back?" asked Jason, pulling everyone out of their trance. "I mean, the gates aren't anywhere that I can see."

"How are supposed to get back them?" Hazel said, repeating Jason's question.

"We don't," Nico said matter-of-factly.

Everyone looked at him, and he shrank back. He said, "What? It's true. We can't get back now."

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Frank.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't the gate called 'Gate of No Return'? If my calculations are correct, I'm pretty sure we can't return," Nico answered sarcastically. He probably shouldn't have said that in that manner, considering how bad their situation was, but he couldn't help himself.

"Then what in the name of Jupiter are supposed to do? We don't know where we are, and we need to get back to Greece so that we can close the Doors of Death. Unless we're already in Greece."

Piper looked around some more and then said, "Hawaii."

"What?" They all stared at her.

"We're in Hawaii. Specifically Kauai, if I'm right." Nico had heard that name before_. _There were a lot of famous movies based there. But he had never been to Hawaii. When he was little, Hawaii wasn't even one of the fifty states.

"And how can you be so sure?"

"Because that's my dad's vacation house over there." They all turned around and looked at where she was pointing. One of the bigger beach homes was farther away from resort than most of them. It was super secluded by trees and foliage, but he could just make out the roof and side of the building.

"Let's go freshen up and get a plan together," she said. Since they didn't have anything better to do, everyone followed Piper down the beach towards the house.

"What a coincidence," mumbled Nico. "We landed next to Piper's vacation home." But there were never coincidences when you were a demigod. And he was still trying to not freak out over the fact that they were in Hawaii. Greece was halfway around the world now. How were they going to get back? Nico could see in their eyes that everyone else was thinking the same thing, but everyone kept quiet.

Leo ruined the silence, of course. "Guys, Nessie's gone," Leo suddenly said, stopping in his tracks.

"Please don't tell me that the Archimedes Sphere and Athena Parthenos are gone too," mumbled Nico, loud enough for everyone to hear.

For a second, Leo forgot about the little creature and checked his tool belt. "Nope, they're still there, but Nessie is gone!"

"Too bad, so sad." Hazel rolled her eyes, annoyed. "We have better things to worry about, Leo, like the fact that we're apparently stuck in Hawaii and cannot find a way out, while we need to try and close the Doors of Death and save our friends who are stuck in Tartarus."

That snapped Leo out of his mood. But Piper was leading them up the wooden steps and ramps. She pushed back a bunch of brown vines and palm leaves that were blocking their way, and said, "This is my vacation home."

Home didn't describe it. Half of the entire mansion was made of glass. It was probably three stories and was on a hill. The second story had a giant patio with a huge fire pit and grill, and a small tiki bar. On the bottom floor of the house, there was a pool that had a waterfall that dripped into another pool. A Jacuzzi was put off a little way from the pool, surrounded by trees. There was a giant widow's walk on the roof of the house with a telescope for people to look out of. The place was like a private resort, perfect for a weekend getaway.

"Gods, Piper, you call this a home?" asked Leo.

She blushed and looked self-conscious. "My dad bought this a few years ago. We would sometimes come down here and go surfing and stuff when he needed sometime away from his work." She smiled like she was remembering the good old days. "But I'm pretty sure he'd not here right now, so we're clear to go inside."

They went to the back door, where Piper reached underneath the dirt of a potted plant a brought out a rock. She slid open the slot on the rock, and a key spilled into her hand.

"So you just keep a key in the middle of a plant? Isn't that like the oldest trick in the book?" asked Frank.

"Sometimes, if you hide things in plain sight, people don't expect it." She opened the doors for them and they all stepped inside.

A little while later, they were all sitting around the kitchen island, eating Fruit Roll-Ups and drinking water. Piper said that they didn't have any good types of food because no one had been there recently. Nico had tried to ask Piper to use the Horn of Plenty, but she said they didn't need it.

Piper disappeared for a minute. "You guys," started Hazel. "What are we going to do?

Nico could barely wrap his head around Hazel question. He was still admiring the house. It was even more spectacular from the inside. Nico wondered how someone could ever get this much money. Every piece of furniture must've cost, like, a thousand dollars.

Jason snapped his fingers in Nico's face. "Focus. It was you who told us to go through the gates in the first place."

Nico popped his head in Jason's direction. He had to kidding. Nico had never really liked Jason, but blaming this crap on him was the last straw.

"Last I checked, you didn't have to do anything I said. I've done great on my own, and I don't need you or anyone else telling me what to do. It wasn't me who told you we had to go through that gate, but I didn't see anyone else coming up with any brilliant ideas."

He left all of them in silence, but Nico was done with Jason. The guy needed to quit acting like he had such a big head and was so important. Every one of them was equally important, and Nico was sick of it.

Sparks were coming off of Jason's clothes. Hazel gulped and slid away from them, trying to casually unwrap her Fruit Roll-Up. Leo looked back and forth between them, and Frank positioned himself so that he could help Hazel if anything got too crazy.

Jason narrowed his eyes and poked his finger in Nico's chest. "Then why don't you just-"

"Hello everyone, I come bearing clothes," called Piper. She walked into the room with a stack of men's and women's clothing in her arms for the rest of them. She kissed Jason on the cheek and jerked away immediately. "Ouch! You shocked me!"

Jason didn't acknowledge her. She shrugged her shoulders and then realized how quiet it was. "What happened while I was gone?" No one answered her. Glares were given to each other, and some of them still backed away from Nico and Jason.

Piper dropped the clothes on the counter. She mustered up her charmspeaking voice, but Nico didn't even feel compelled to do anything she was saying. "Okay, whatever is going on between you two, quit it. We don't need any fighting going on between us- Whoa, Nico, what are you doing?"

Nico didn't even care what he was doing. He felt weird. He only felt this mad on a few occasions. He remembered the first time he had ever been this mad. It was when Percy had told him that Bianca had died, all those years ago. And he remembered what had happened when he felt like that.

He broke eye contact with Jason. He glanced at the ground. Shards of black volcanic rock were protruding from the hard wood ground. They were at least a yard tall behind him, jagged like stalagmites.

He swallowed a lump in his throat. Jason was backing away from him. The ground was shaking like they were having an earthquake. If Nico wasn't careful, a bunch of undead warriors were going to pop out of the ground next.

He exhaled softly and backed away from them with his hands in front of him. The ground stopped shaking, but there were still giant stones coming out of Piper's father's billion dollar floor.

"Sorry about the floor, Piper," he tried.

She shook her head. "Um… my dad will just think it was an earthquake or something. Don't worry about it." She didn't sound so sure about that.

"I need some fresh air." He turned away from them, his head to the ground, and walked as fast as he could out of that house. He shoved his hands in his pockets. He could hear a few very meek protests behind him, but no one really tried to stop him.

He wanted to slap himself. Now he really looked like a freak. They were probably going to kick him out of their group, and he'd be a loner all over again. He said it himself that he wouldn't care whether he was or not.

_Why did I just totally diss them_? he asked himself. _I'm such a freaking loser. Why don't I just leave now and put them out of their misery?_

He walked over to the pool and sat down next to it. He touched the water with his finger. Despite the really warm weather, the water was cold. It was probably just him.

Sons of Hades didn't belong anywhere. And it was kind of his fault that they were there. "Come on, Nico," he told himself. "You shouldn't be like this. Toughen up. You're your own person."

"Are you talking to yourself?" Nico stiffened and turned to the voice. Hazel was walking up to him with some clothes in her arms. "I'm just joking. Don't take it so seriously."

"I know," he sighed. "I just need some time alone, okay?"

Hazel nodded and set the clothes down, but she didn't leave. Instead, she sat down next to him. "These are for you. They're Piper's dad's clothes, so they aren't going to fit you perfectly, and they aren't your style, but it's better than nothing. And here's and backpack to keep everything in." She handed him an L.L. Bean hiking bag. "I found this in the hall closet, and Piper said to take anything."

"Thanks," he murmured.

"And we talked a little bit. We tried to Iris Message Coach Hedge, but the IM didn't go through. Now we're afraid something has happened to Iris and Fleecy."

"Who's Fleecy?"

"Never mind. The point is that we can't contact anyone. We're on our own, so we better hope that we find some very nice, Hawaiian demigods, or we're done for."

"Well, I might go walk down the beach, okay?" He needed to clear his mind. And it was the easiest way to change the subject.

Hazel laid a hand on his arm. "Nico, no one blames you for what happened in there. I think Jason feels guilty for being that mean. It's not your fault."

"Yeah, but I really just need to, okay Hazel?"

She sighed. "Fine, but make sure you have your weapons ready in case there's an attack." She stood up and looked down at him, then flipped her hair over her shoulder and strode back inside the house.

She said that all connections were cut off… but he actually wanted to be sure. He hopped up from the ground and looked for the longest shadow he could see. He walked over the steps and behind the curtain of leaves and vines. It was a perfect area.

Nico willed himself to become a shadow. He tried to detach himself from the world of the living and blend in with his surroundings. His stomach felt funny, but it always did when he tried to shadow travel. He closed his eyes and then opened them.

Nothing happened. He was still in Kauai, which meant that he couldn't shadow travel anymore. All connections really were gone for some reason. Nico blamed Gaea and that voice that he had heard in his dreams.

He began to walk down the beach, towards the crowd of people. He'd be the only one without a bathing suit, but things could be weirder.

Why was his memory of Tartarus gone? It wasn't right. That was valuable information that was now gone. He really was going to join the 'I Hate Hera' club if it was her fault.

"Well, well, look who made all the wrong choices," laughed a man's voice. There was something about it that Nico found really familiar. He, very carefully, turned around to face the new voice. Nico had his hand on his new sword that was sheathed at his side.

And he came face to face with _Percy Jackson._

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**Ha, a cliffhanger... I'm a bad person! Sorry, but I had to!**

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**-BBH**


	19. Chapter 19: Annabeth

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Chapter 19

Annabeth

The house loomed over Annabeth and Percy. She was sweating with nervousness. Percy was shaking as he carried her. She still hated the useless feeling, but she couldn't help but wonder if there would be help inside of the building, or if there would be certain death.

There wasn't even a lock on the gate. It swung open before either of them touched it. A gust of wind blew in their face, followed by a trill of laughter. It was from a man.

"Okay, let's turn around," offered Percy pivoting on his heel.

"No, we're going inside," Annabeth insisted, using Percy's hair as a reign. He grunted and tuned around.

"Don't pull my hair," he mumbled, and Annabeth giggled. He continued pulling them forward, through the gates, but then stopped. "Do you hear that?" he asked her suddenly.

"Hear what?"

"That noise… it sounds like wings. Listen." She turned her head to the side and leaned slightly toward the house. They were both absolutely silent. And then she heard. It sounded like a thousand wings. Something screeched, and it wasn't a human.

Annabeth was starting to think that they really shouldn't go inside. And then it happened.

A murder of crows flew out from behind the house, so many that she couldn't even count. It was a sea of talons and black feathers and beaks. They were headed straight for Percy and Annabeth.

She couldn't help it; she screamed in shock. Percy was completely still. At the last second, he fell to his knees and put her down. He curled up so his back was towards the crows and she did the same.

Tens of them flew into her back, which didn't help her ribs. She gasped in the newfound pain. It was like a million knives were being drilled into her back. She could feel her shirt being torn up to little shreds in the back. She could already feel the blood beginning to seep through her clothes, and it stung like crazy.

Something reached out and touched her. She flinched away, closing her eyes. But when she opened them, she could see Percy's green eyes and his outstretched hand. She gladly accepted it and threaded her fingers through his.

Just when it seemed like the assault would go on forever, it ended. Annabeth looked up. All of the birds were flying over the churning sea now, happily free from where they had previously been.

"Well, that was different," admitted Percy, stretching his arms. "They kind of reminded me of those birds… what were they called? Something with an s?"

"Stymphalian Birds," she informed him. "But no, those were only normal crows. I wonder what they're doing in Tartarus."

"They probably wonder what we're doing in Tartarus," said Percy. He pushed himself to his feet, and Annabeth gaped at the sight of his back. His legs and back were covered in nicks and blood. It looked like someone had whipped him.

"Oh, gods, are you okay?" asked Annabeth.

"I'm fine," Percy told her. "And now I'm kind of glad that I don't have the curse of Achilles anymore. I was nailed in the small of my back so many times that I'd definitely be dead now. But are you okay?"

No, she wasn't okay, but she nodded anyway. "I'm fine. Let's get inside."

Percy bent down and picked her up in his arms. "This place just gets weirder and weirder by the second," he muttered, and Annabeth couldn't agree more.

She glanced at the building. It looked a little bit the Leaning Tower of Pisa, but the dimensions and sides were all wrong. The thing really looked like it was going to collapse at any moment. It was an architect's nightmare. **(A/N: In case you guys haven't noticed yet, this place is the cover of the book *Look above at image*)**

The grass surrounding the building was black and dead. It got hilly in the distance. The fence closed around the building. The only way to escape was to go through the building. With their luck it would collapse on top of them. That was just wonderful. _Think positive_, she told herself.

Percy carried her up the steps of the building. They were wooden and creaked. Annabeth tried to look past the building again. Her eyes landed on a grave yard. Even better. She tugged on Percy's head, and he started to protest, but she pointed at the grave yard and he fell silent.

"Lovely," he said. "This just makes me want to go inside so badly."

Right next to the door, there were two plaques. Annabeth and Percy studied them silently.

The first one made sense, sort of. It said: Σε περίπτωση απώλειας, αποκάλυψε, which was Ancient Greek. "Where the Lost are Revealed," Annabeth translated, and Percy nodded. "What do you think that means?"

"No idea. You want to take a guess at the second one?" The one below that was short, but the language didn't make any sense. It looked like a bunch of scribbles and mismatched letters, which matched the house. It seemed like an older language, probably one monsters or giants spoke. But there was no way she could understand what it meant, and it seemed very important.

"I don't know. I'm not even sure if I want to know." The words were in cursive, somehow beautifully elegant yet eerily terrifying. She shivered and nudged Percy forward.

He knocked on the door. "Hello?"

"Percy, now is not the time to be knocking."

"You never know. Maybe the people inside like it when you have manners and kill you when you don't." But he pushed open the door anyway, using his back. The door looked stuck and like it hadn't been used in a long time.

Once it swung open, a white and gray wall of cobwebs blocked their path. Annabeth stifled a scream a tried to scramble backwards, which only resulted in hitting her bad ankle against the wall of the house. That did make her scream.

"Calm down," soothed Percy. He brought out his sword and cut a path through the webs. They fell to the side like curtains. Percy didn't even seem to be bothered by the cobwebs. He pulled them apart, and Annabeth shrank into Percy so that they wouldn't touch her.

Her jaw hit the ground when she saw the inside. So did Percy's. "So are we at a thrift shop or something?" asked Percy. "Habitat for Humanity? Dollar General? Wal-Mart?"

It seemed exactly like that. There were rows and stairs and so many walls that it was like a maze. Things were hanging from the ceiling. The shelves were overflowing with goods and devices that Annabeth couldn't even name. There were so many supplies that Annabeth's head started spinning from it all. It was so overwhelming to see so many things in one place that she felt dizzy and sort of claustrophobic. "Wow," she sighed. "This is amazing."

"This is crazy," Percy agreed. "Why is there so much stuff here? Is this the convenience store of Tartarus? Do monsters go shopping here?"

"Well, it said it was called Where the Lost are Revealed, so maybe this is like where all the lost things come to." It seemed like an appropriate guess. Percy stepped forward, and as fast as lightning, something snapped down from the ceiling at their faces.

Thankfully, Percy had good reflexes and escaped getting nailed in the face by whatever it was. He twisted them both to the side and out of the way. There was the shrieking of rusty gears and nothing hit them.

Percy stood up. A sign had fallen down. "'Welcome,'" Annabeth read. "'Please take only what is necessary or what was yours in the first place. Any taking of unneeded supplies will result in immediate expulsion from the building. Please use the sign-in sheet on the right. Thank you, and have a dreadful day.' Well, that seems nice enough, except for the ending."

"It's a free for all!" said Percy. "This is awesome. They've got to have something here for your wounds."

"Our wounds," Annabeth corrected. "You've been hurt too, Percy."

Percy didn't say anything, but turned to the right and found the sign in sheet. He blew a layer of dust and decay off of the top. He flipped it open until he saw the first open page. There was one signature on that sheet, and it was from Tisiphone, and it was from August 3rd, 1954. Next to that was a column for 'Reason for coming'. She said, 'Got some murders to avenge. Need torture devices."

"Who's that?" asked Percy, pointing at the name.

"One of the Furies," Annabeth told him. "She's the Avenger of Murders."

"Seems legit." There was a slab of charcoal to write with. Percy picked it up and wrote down Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase, Some day in hopefully July, and 'We're sick and tired. We need supplies to continue our journy and medcal needs to attend to'. Annabeth didn't tell him that he misspelled journey and medical, because dyslexia didn't matter at the minute.

The sign swung up, somehow knowing that they had signed in. Percy stepped around the desk and laughed at something Annabeth couldn't see. "What?" she asked.

"There's a directory," Percy told her. Somehow, this place was familiar. Someone had been to a place like this before and told her about it. "Look. Medical supplies are on the second floor. And food is on the fifth. And on the eighth is mi… miscell…" Percy looked at Annabeth for help with the word.

"Miscellaneous," she pronounced. "It means random in a way."

"Okay, well, that floor has that." Percy's eyes squinted at the board. "Look. The basement level has been scratched out." Sure enough, the words of the bottom of the directory were scratched to little bits.

"I think someone doesn't want anyone to know what's down there," Percy said.

"You think, Seaweed Brain? Let's just go get our medical supplies." Percy obeyed, but he kept turning around and looking for the set of stairs that went into the basement. Annabeth wished he would pay attention. Whatever was down there wasn't any good to them.

It struck her then. Piper had told Annabeth about a place like this that they'd been to on their own quest, and it had been run by Medea. Piper said that Medea had used her own type of charmspeak on Jason and Leo. But this place was a dump, like no one had been there in a while.

When they got to the top of the stairs, they entered the medical emporium. Wheel chairs and crutches were on the lopsided walls that leaned way too far to the left. Gurneys and hospital beds were in a pile. Annabeth wondered how some people could lose those things.

Percy grabbed something and gave it to her. It was a bottle of nectar. Annabeth greedily took a sip and it reminded her of apple pie. Almost instantly, she could feel something in her midsection moving back into place. It hurt a little bit at first, but she was glad that something was happening.

He wrapped a new line of gauze around her ribs, and it didn't even hurt anymore. Setting her on the ground, he vanished into the isles. He quickly reappeared with an air cast and a small pump.

"I couldn't find a real cast, but this should be good enough." He undid it for her and slid it onto her leg. The giant boot nearly stopped at her knee and kept her ankle completely in place. He finished the straps and pumped some air into it. "Does this work?"

Cautiously, Annabeth stood up and she didn't fall. She took a step forward, and she was walking.

"Now I can kill some monsters!" Annabeth cheered, so happy. She jumped on Percy and kissed him. He laughed against her lips.

"I'm glad you can walk again," he told her, setting her down. "I feel safer with you fighting by my side."

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**Wow... I'm still pretty speechless. Thank you so much for the reviews, you guys. I think I might start crying. You all are just so... words cannot describe how great you are...**

**Reviews and ideas are still loved! Please check out and review my new story, Are You Scared? It's only a one-shot, so I hope you do read it!**

**-BBH**


	20. Chapter 20: Jason

**Hey guys! What's up? Thanks for the reviews! This is a VERY FAST PACED chapter, and it'll answer some of your questions...**

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Chapter 20

Jason

Truth be told, Jason felt guilty about what he had done to Nico. He'd just lost his temper a little bit. Some Roman he was. He was supposed to have more self-control than that.

After they had tried to IM Coach Hedge and failed miserably at it, Hazel left to go and try to reason with Nico. Jason didn't think it would work.

He tried to casually step over the giant rocks in the kitchen, but ended up tripping over them instead. He could feel his face flush, and everyone automatically turned to look at him. He scowled at the ground and flopped down on Piper's fifty-thousand dollar couch. He buried his face in a pillow and gave out a muffled scream. His head started to throb.

"Um, Jason, are you okay?" asked Leo. "You seem a little uptight."

"I agree with him," Piper said. "What's gotten into you? And what about Nico? He's just sitting out there next to the pool."

Jason shrugged. He didn't have an answer to any of the questions. He shouldn't have blamed it on Nico, but he had been and still was frustrated. He sighed as Hazel walked into the room. "I talked to Nico, and he just wants to be alone. But I think you should try to go talk to him Jason."

"But you said he wanted to be left alone," he protested for no reason. It was the right thing to do.

"I know what I said," retorted Hazel impatiently. "But this is your wrong that you need to fix. So go talk to him." She sounded like an angry mother. Jason thought it was kind of ridiculous, but everyone was nodding like it was a good idea. Jason doubt that just saying sorry would fix the entire mess that he had started, but he guessed it was worth a try.

"Fine. But I want you guys to come with me. Not to back me up," he said hastily before anyone could excuse him of being a wimp. "I just feel a little bit safer with you guys by my side."

They seemed to consider this for a minute, and then Frank said, "Sure, man. Let's go get Nico."

As it turned out, Nico wasn't by the pool anymore, but a pile of clothes and a backpack were. A giant sock had blown into the pool and was floating on the surface. Hazel made a face. "Those are the clothes that I gave him. Where'd he go?"

"Oh great," Leo said. "What if he left us? He probably said, 'Screw this, I'm gonna explore Hawaii.' I can see him doing that."

"Well, I can't," Piper told him. "Maybe he went on the beach."

"Yeah, I think that's what he said that he was going to do. He said that he was going to go take a walk."

"Well, I guess we're going to the beach." They walked over the old wood and passed through the tangled vines until Jason felt the sand under his shoes and the sun beating down on his face. He looked around, but no sign of Nico.

"I wonder where he went." They searched the area. Jason looked down the beach, from the crowd of the people to the quiet end of the beach, where only few people sat. And then he gasped when he actually saw something that possibly could've been Nico, but he couldn't tell.

"What is it?" asked Hazel protectively. She was clearly starting to get worried for her half brother.

Jason pointed, not able to form words. There was a kid, Nico's size, with Nico's hair and clothes, tied to a wooden pole with a gag in his mouth. He looked unconscious. Jason hoped that it wasn't him.

They all rushed over, running at the kid who was tied up. Hazel was squeaking a little bit, and they were all screaming Nico's name as they got closer and closer. The closer he got, the more Jason's stomach started to twist. Now he really wished that he hadn't gotten mad at Nico.

It was him. Once they got to him, Jason had to accept the fact that it was Nico. Everything about him was right. Leo slapped him, and he did not wake up. Piper used her charmspeak on him, and he still remained asleep. There was no knot on his head or any visible damage. "What's wrong with him?" asked Hazel a little hysterically.

He had no idea. "Come on, Nico, wake up. I'm sorry?" he tried. Nico didn't reply. His head lolled on his shoulders. Jason took Piper's knife and tried to cut his bonds, but the knife did nothing. It was like trying to cut metal. Jason's hands worked furiously back and forth, but it did not help. The bonds stayed the same, and Nico stayed asleep.

"It isn't going to work," came a voice. Jason had not realized that there was a man in a lounge chair right next to the pole. He was almost invisible. The guy had on a pair of sunglasses. His hair was completely black. He wore swim trunks and his muscles almost rippled on his chest. He looked like he didn't have a care in the world. "Oh, and you demigods are blocking the sun. Please move a little bit."

"Who the heck are you?" snarled Jason. He was obviously a monster. He knew that they were demigods. His friends tightened into fighting positions, but they hadn't drawn weapons yet. The black-haired man yawned. "And why did you do this to our friend?"

The man laughed and brought his hands up to his glasses. Standing up, he removed his glasses and a smiled a crooked, evil smile.

His eyes were sea green, just like Percy's.

Leo gasped. "Percy?" they all asked with disbelief. It wasn't possible. Jason silently begged to be awoken from the horrific nightmare. "But you're supposed to be in Tartarus!" cried Frank, throwing his hands into the air.

The man tensed like he was going to rip off their heads. "Why does everyone get me confused with that sad excuse for a son of Poseidon? I came first! People should know me more than they should know him, but no. Go to anyone, and they're all like, 'Aren't you that Jackson kid?' I'm not!"

"Then who the heck are you?" growled Jason.

"Why, I'm his half brother, of course. My name is Triton."

"Triton?" asked Frank. "Aren't you the blue mermaid guy with the conch shell? I think I read about you when I was in elementary school…"

'Triton's' eyes narrowed. "Perhaps I looked like a mermaid in my true form, but when I'm trying to act… human," he shivered at the word, "I'm afraid I have to turn into this, which sadly looks just like that idiot brother of mine. Actually, most sons of Poseidon look like this. I wish I didn't have to."

"But… can't you just change your appearance like all of the other gods and goddesses?"

Triton looked a little ticked off by that question. Like a soccer player kicking a ball, he brought his right foot back and kicked Nico hard in the stomach. They gasped and gaped at him for doing such a thing. Hazel didn't seem to care that a god was standing before them. She lunged at him automatically like an animal, cursing at him in Latin. Triton side-stepped her attack calmly, but still mad. Jason and Leo grabbed Hazel and pulled her back to their side. She fumed.

"Not all of the same rules apply to everyone, you ignorant child," sneered Triton. Jason was liking this guy less and less by the second. "And before you ask, no, I'm not waking up Nico di Angelo. Let him serve as an example of what will happen to you if you ever confuse with Jackson again."

"But that's not fair!"

"Life's not fair, and it's even less fair for immortals. Didn't that idiot centaur Chiron ever tell you that?"

"Chiron?" asked Frank, but Jason shushed him.

"He just got you confused with a friend of ours. What's so wrong with Percy Jackson? What'd he ever do to you?"

Triton gave them a cold laugh. "It's funny how one stupid demigod can ruin your reputation. I was general of my father's army, and rightly so. I worked hard for that place. But then Sally Jackson comes along, and he nearly forgets about his real wife, Amphitrite. And then Percy's here and Poseidon claims that he is his favorite son, not me. After everything, he chooses the half-blood over me. It's like my family had been betrayed. It makes me sick to even think about him."

"So, you're just jealous," Piper reasoned out. "Of Percy?"

"I'M NOT JEALOUS!" he roared. They shrank back. He took a deep breath and tried to compose himself. "Why would I be jealous of him? I only hope that he rots to death in Tartarus with his annoying girlfriend."

"It still gives you no reason to tie up Nico, just because he got your name wrong. Now, I demand that you release him at once, and we will be on our merry way." Piper's voice was dripping power, and Jason had the urge to go skip away from them and down the beach.

The man who looked like Percy smiled. "Your charmspeak does nothing, daughter of Aphrodite. And if you guys leave, then who will help you ever get off the island?"

That stopped Jason. "What do you mean? You know how to get back to Greece?"

Triton nodded. "It's a long, hard, confusing journey, and I cannot take you directly back to Greece. Actually, even if I could, I would choose not to."

"Of course, because that would just be too easy," mumbled Leo.

"Exactly. When Gaea created the Gates, she spaced them out all over the world. Each one goes to a different place. They make for a quick getaway when the attack is too strong."So there was more than one…

Frank's eyes widened. "Or an easy way to get to one place to destroy it…"

"You catch on pretty fast." He rolled his eyes sarcastically. "There are about ten in the United States, including the one on Kauai. They each have a different way to be opened. For instance, the one in Greece required you to fall down a hole into the middle of nowhere and navigate yourself to find it."

"But that was blocking the way to the House of Hades. How are we supposed to get into the House if there's a teleporting gate in front of it?"

"You can only use each gate once a month. That's so that the enemy can't follow you, and after a month is up, they'll never be able to find you because if you're smart enough, you'll be long gone by then. And you can't go back through the Gate to your previous place, hence the name, Gate of No Return. Sometimes, things are literal, and people need to stop over thinking them. It's like the pyramids and temples. Scientists say aliens. Oh, please. The citizens built them, end of story."

"Back on subject," snapped Hazel. Her eyes burned into all of theirs. "Release Nico and help us find the Gate on the island. Otherwise Gaea is going to come back to life and the world is going to end, and we're all going to die."

"I guess that depends on who you are." Triton shrugged and studied his finger nails.

Realization dawned on Jason. "You're with Gaea, aren't you?"

"I'm with no one," he thundered. The waves rose ten feet with his anger. "I work for myself. But I am going to side with whoever is going to win in this war. And right now, that seems like Gaea to me."

"But you'd be betraying your family," Piper protested.

"If Gaea wins, then my family is already dead. If they sided with her, she would let them live. It's the same with you all. She will keep you safe and fed and let you join her own army. You can live a long, happy life. Doesn't that seem nice?"

He ignored him. "Then how are we supposed to save Nico?" Jason asked himself quietly.

"Convince me to join your side," Triton said simply. "Show me that I'm making the wrong decision by joining Gaea and make me be on your side. The begging and crying that you're doing now is even pushing me more towards her side. Show me that demigods are worth saving, or I will hand di Angelo up to Gaea as her first offering."

Jason grunted, still trying to process everything. There were ten gates in the US, which hopefully meant that one of them would take them to Greece, or close to it. Triton hated his brother, Percy Jackson. He was neutral and wanted to be bought over to either side, and if they didn't win him over, Nico was going to be given to Gaea. Great, just great.

"He's provoking us," breathed Leo. "We need to stay calm and settle this like normal people, or with a fight. It's kind of like he _really_ wants to be on our side." That was probably the smartest advice Leo Valdez had ever given in his entire life. But Jason was mad. Piper seemed madder, and everyone knew that Hazel was the maddest.

"And how are we supposed to convince you?" asked Piper, sickly sweet. If you didn't know her, you'd think she was being innocent, but Jason had known her long enough to see to white-hot rage that made her tremble slightly.

Triton considered this for half of a second. Running a hand through his tangled mess of hair and giving a kick to Nico's gut, he said, "How about a surfing competition? You ever stays on their board the longest and doesn't wipe out wins. And I'm being generous with this offer. I could say who can hold their breath the longest, but I wouldn't even be giving you a chance."

None of them could surf. And it was insane. Triton would just manipulate the waves so that he could win. And who chooses surfing? Jason just wanted to beat the guy up with his sword so that he _would_ tell them everything they needed to know. "That is just about the stupidest challenge I've ever-"

"You're on," raged Piper. She clearly wasn't thinking. "You and me, one hour. Be prepared to lose."

Triton smirked, and the waves crashed with a roar.

_Oh gods…_

* * *

**Okay, so, hear me out before you review. I've wanted to have a surfing competition between Piper and Triton for two years, even before I started FanFiction. I almost put this scene in The Mark of Athena, but I couldn't find a spot for it. So I'm putting it in this story! Yeah, it's going to be a little corny and cheesy, but please, for once, just let me do this because I REALLY want to. Is that okay with you guys? It'll be funny, or at least I'll try to make it funny!**

**Reviews and ideas are loved! A special surprise PJO story will be posted on Friday, so stay tuned!**

**-BBH**


	21. Chapter 21: Percy

**My new PJO story, Love Is A Four Letter Word, is posted! Please read! Someone asked if I preferred the Divergent Trilogy or the Hunger Games Trilogy. Why must you make me chose between two amazing series!? Ugh… well, it's definitely ****the Divergent trilogy! ****If you haven't read that series, READ IT! It's just... amazing, like you guys. **

**Sorry about Typos/OOCness! And the extreme Percabeth fluff halfway through the chapter:) I Really Hope You Enjoy!**

**Happy Reading!**

* * *

Chapter 21

Percy

Now that Annabeth's ankle and ribs were almost healed, she could stand up and walk around with little to no pain. Her face shined, and Percy's face did too. He was so happy for her.

They started exploring the different floors. It was kind of weird, considering they were completely alone. Every movement they made echoed throughout the many floors of the building.

Percy couldn't even believe that some people had lost things like this. There was a money room of the house, and money of all shapes and sizes, from all different countries around the world, and even some lost civilizations. He could see a mound of drachmas and hundred dollar American dollars.

He went after it, but Annabeth pulled him back. "It said to only take what you need," she told him. "We don't need any money. Just leave it."

That wasn't an easy thing to do. There were just mounds of money lying on the ground. Some of it would probably never be used. "Well, we'll always need money," he protested, picking up a few drachmas and waving them in Annabeth's face. She rolled her eyes and plucked them from his fingers and put them away.

"But we don't need it right now. Let's go to the next floor," she said.

Percy followed Annabeth's orders and backed away from the room. Lacing their fingers together, Percy guided them to the next floor.

It was hardware. It even had a labeled sing on the wall informing them. "I think this is where Tisiphone was coming to."

Once they stepped away from the stairs, the first thing they saw was a bunch of butcher knives. There were bloody ropes hanging on the wall, along with barbed wire and old chains of all different sizes. There was one of those electrotherapy chairs against the wall too. "How do you lose one of these?" Percy asked, flabbergasted.

Annabeth shrugged. "I don't know."

Along with that, there actually was some hardware supplies. Nails, screws, nuts, bolts, windows, screwdrivers, and tons of other things. "Do you think we'll need any of this stuff?" Annabeth asked, running her fingers through the basket of rusty nails.

"I don't think so." Percy casually looked at the display of drills and saws. It looked like if you even touched the tip it would cut you. "What about these?"

"Hmm, no."

Percy thought about Leo and how much he would love this kind of room. It had everything he would need to fix, well, anything. It made him a little sad and he wondered what was going on with his friends, way above.

We're they still in Rome? We're they already Greece? We're they at the Doors of Death already? What if they were hurt, or dead? Percy ignored that thought. They were too tough to be dead.

So they left the hardware floor and went onto the food floor. It wasn't anything like Percy had imagined.

In his head, Percy was thinking about a mall's food court. Chick-Fil-A on one side, and Sbarro on the other side. Maybe a TCBY in the middle, or a Dairy Queen. Percy almost smiled at the thought of a normal mall. But this place was nothing like that.

When they meant lost food, they really meant 'lost food.' Crumbs and pieces of food that had been chewed, swallowed, thrown-up, and forgotten about littered the ground in giant mounds. It looked like a giant landfill. Flies landed on the piles and roaches crawled on the ground. It was all Percy could do to not throw up.

And even worse than the visual was the smell. It was the smell of food that had been rotting for years. Soured food, moldy food, food ten thousand years beyond its expiration date. Percy's eyes watered. He suddenly wasn't that hungry, and he yanked Annabeth up the stairs.

"That was disgusting," Annabeth coughed, pinching her nose. "I can still smell it."

"I still might throw up," Percy mumbled, supporting himself against the wall. His head was spinning. His legs were even shaking.

"Let's get out of here," Annabeth whispered, her shirt now pulled up over her nose. They took the stairs two at a time, coughing and gagging the entire way. Percy had one hand pressed against his stomach, and he was quietly saying, "You will not get sick, you will not get sick."

The next floor, the sixth one, was beauty supplies. The place smelled like Bath and Body Works. Perfume and lotion dripped from the ceiling. Some sweet pea lotion fell into Percy's hair. He groaned. He was hating this place more and more, but at least the horrid smells were masking the rotting food.

Annabeth stepped away from him and looked at the makeup section. She smiled to herself. "Do you remember how Silena used to always run around, trying to get me to wear makeup?"

Percy laughed a little bit, but it sounded strangled. "How could I forget? It was always a highlight of the day, watching you two bicker about it."

She nodded and glanced at the pallet of eye shadow and giant brush in her hands. She sighed and put them back on the shelf. "Well, that hasn't changed. I still hate makeup." She shook her head and walked away, Percy following.

Suddenly, Percy got a funny idea. He walked over to the body sprays and picked up something that reeked of vanilla and tiptoed back to his girlfriend. "Annabeth," he said quietly. Probably on instinct, she turned around. He sprayed it on her. "Surprise!"

She coughed and backed away, waving her hands around. "What the heck, Percy?" she cried, but he was too busy laughing his head off to answer her. Her eyes narrowed, trained on Percy. He gulped. "It's so on."

Moving as fast as she could with the giant boot, she went for another type of spray. Percy, still laughing, lunged behind a table and knocked over a crap load of hand sanitizers and nail polishes. They shattered all around him and on his clothes. He started laughing even harder.

A small part of his mind was blinking red lights in his face. They didn't have time to be having beauty wars which other. But the happy part of Percy didn't care. He loved seeing Annabeth smile. He hadn't seen her this joyful in a long time, and he completely thought that it was worth it.

Something shattered next to his head, twice. He moved his head as shards of mirror fell all around him. Annabeth cursed, and Percy screamed, "You missed, Wise Girl. What happened to your perfect aim?"

"You better watch your mouth," she yelled back from somewhere on the floor. Percy picked up a lip stick cylinder and tossed it in his hand. Annabeth threw a sponge at him, which only hit the wall. Percy waited a few seconds, and then jumped up and threw the lipstick at Annabeth, who was on the other side of the room.

He sat back down before he could see if he hit her or not. He heard her grunt and he knew that he had hit her. But shortly after, he heard ragged breathing, like she was… crying?

Had he hurt her?

Percy was on his feet in a split second, rushing over to Annabeth. He mentally slapped himself repeatedly. This had been a stupid idea. What if he had hurt Annabeth? She was still weak from everything. He was such an idiot.

He found her lying on the ground, writhing around, and hand pressed to her eyes. Something red leaked through her fingers, and she looked like she was in so much pain. His breath caught. What had he done?

He approached her slowly, his hands out. "Oh, gods, Annabeth-"

Before he could react, Annabeth's leg shot out and swept his out from underneath him. He gasped and fell down on the white tile with a thud. His vision went black for a second, but when he opened his eyes again, Annabeth was straddling him with the stick on lipstick to his neck.

"You're such a Seaweed Brain," she said softly, laughing.

Percy couldn't form words. "But- How- I- What?"

"It's called acting, Percy. Learn it." Her smile was wide. She showed him a bottle of dark red sanitizer. "Looks enough like blood, don't you think so?"

"That so wasn't cool, Annabeth," Percy protested. "I really thought that I had hurt you."

"Well, I don't usually pull this card, but you started it." She smiled, and he couldn't help but smile back at her. She placed her hand on his cheek and kissed him slowly and carefully. He never wanted the kiss to end, but she broke it. "You should have seen the look on your face. Sorry, but that was totally worth it. And I don't think lipstick is going to hurt me that much."

Okay, so maybe he had overreacted a little bit. Annabeth and him stood up and left the sixth floor, quickly going to the seventh. It was labeled 'Furniture and Household Appliances'.

"Well, this is the craziest floor. How do you lose a couch?"

Couches were stacked on top of each other, tables were everywhere with the legs broken off. An ancient looking grandfather clock was at the bottom of the stairs, and then stepped over it. There was a baby grand piano and a drum set in their too.

In addition, there was a long row of beds, right next to the sinks and refrigerators. Annabeth was at the beds before Percy was. They both flopped down on them. "Wow," he sighed. "It feels so nice to be in a real bed."

"I know," Annabeth agreed. But she sat back up and jumped to her feet. "We can't waste our time in here though."

"Why not? Didn't we just waste a bunch of our time in the beauty parlor?"

"Yes, and we wasted way too much in there. Let's go to the top floor and then leave."

"But I want to take a bed with me," moaned Percy. Annabeth pulled him off and lead him back to the stairs. "Why can't I take a bed with me? I'll carry it the entire way, and I think we need one."

"No we don't."

So they ended up on the Miscellaneous level, the eighth and final level. Right when they arrived, Annabeth yelped, "No freaking way," and ran away from him and towards something that he couldn't even see. He was curious, so he followed.

Surprisingly, it was Annabeth's old backpack. The last time Percy had seen it, it was with Annabeth when she left him with Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn. Annabeth tore through it, so excited.

With a huge grin, she brought out something that was glinting. Percy too grinned when he saw the familiar blade and hilt. It was Annabeth's old dagger, given to her by Luke when she was little. He glanced inside and saw a flashlight, some string (what?), a water bottle, the map, some matches, ambrosia, and a few other things.

"I didn't think I would ever find this," she said gleefully. "Wow… now I have my knife back." She looked through the bag some more and brought out a few more things. One of them was her laptop, and the other was her cell phone. "I can't believe all of my stuff that I lost is in here. Maybe things are getting better."

"Maybe they are." Percy looked around, and his eyes fell on something. "Look!"

There was a book at the far end of the room, sitting on a pedestal as if it were the most important thing in the world. He cocked his head to the side and drifted forward. "I wonder what's so special about this book."

Annabeth was behind him; he could hear her footsteps. The book was open to a certain page, but percy didn't bother reading it. Half of the book had been burned. The pages were almost black and falling apart in some places.

Percy looked at the cover. It wasn't in English, but a list of other languages. He saw one in ancient Greek and he deciphered it quickly. His jaw dropped. "Annabeth, these are the Sibylline Books… or, one of them."

"No way…" She pushed him out of the way and looked for herself. "But… how?"

"I thought the books were in the US," Percy said, taking the book in his hands. The cover was made of wood and leather, the pages were papyrus. "Ella had all of the prophecies in these books memorized. Octavian's been after them for years. What would they being doing in here?"

"I don't know. I really don't know. I still can't believe that you're holding one of them. That's amazing."

Percy went back to the page that it had been turned to. The bottom of it was burned off, but the words were in English. His hands were still shaking, and the book wasn't that heavy. "Annabeth, read this for me. My nerves are too bad."

She gladly took the book from him and began to read.

"_The House of Hades Hold the Key,  
To Destroying the World and Restoring Peace."_

Annabeth stopped. "Well, this is definitely a prophecy. And I think it was meant for us." She cleared her throat and continued the prophecy.

"_At the End of Battle's Foretold Strike,  
The Two Enemies will Fight to Unite."_

"That doesn't sound too good," Percy mumbled. Annabeth nodded her head.

"_The Giant Stalks the Six Waiting for War,  
The Earth Mother Haunts at the Doors."_

"Well, the six is obviously the others," Percy reasoned out. "The two enemies could be the Greeks and Romans."

"Percy, there's another verse," Annabeth interrupted.

"What? Prophecies are never that long," he said. He had never heard one with more than six lines. But Annabeth continued the reading.

"_For Though the Eight May Stay,  
There Is One too Many for Giant's Decay.  
Fire and Ice will Oppose the Threats,  
Made By Man Who Conquers All Death."_

"Wait!" Percy said. Annabeth stopped. "Does this mean someone is supposed to die? That's crazy. Is there anymore to the prophecy?"

"Yeah, two more lines." She cracked her neck. "But the rest after that has been burnt off. I'll just keep reading…"

_"Lost in the Wind as Whisper's Tell,  
The Ghost King Will Forever Reign in Hell."_

Annabeth set down the book. Percy locked his eyes with hers. They were wide and stormy. At the same time, like the books may have fated to happen, they breathed, "Nico."

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**Uh-oh... What'd you think of my prophecy? Was it okay? I tried my best!**

***** READ THIS! IT'S IMPORTANT, BUT LONG! *****

**THIS IS MY LAST TIME UPDATING FOR ABOUT TWO WEEKS! I'm sorry. You may get an update this Friday, but probably not. This is because of a few things. One is that I have midterms this week, and it's the end of my semester, so grades are very important to me. The biggest reason is that I am going to the PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURATION THIS WEEKEND. I am going with the Inaugural Scholars Program, which is a bunch of scholars from all over the country from ages 11-24. **

**While I'm there, I will get to meet a bunch of famous people, such as Barbara and Jenna Bush, Vanessa Roth, Brandon Greene, Norah O'Donnel, and Cynthia Lowen. I entered a bunch of competitions, and everyone i entered, I won. This means I get to present this essay in front of everyone, and get my picture taken ith Cynthia, Barbara, and Jenna! I also get to go to a private concert, a GIANT party, and I get early access to the Smithsonian before the rest of the public! I'm so excited, but I will not have the chance to be on my computer from Saturday to Thursday. And once I get back, I will have tons of homework to make up. Ugh...**

**If I get the chance to write any chapters, I will get Kimmie G914 to update for me. But I doubt that will happen. I'm sorry, but if you really want to read something, GO READ MY OTHER STORIES! They include: Tell Me, You and Me Against The World, Love is a Four Letter Word, Eight Pages, Amsterdam, Mine, and Are You Scared?**

**Oh, and my Mark of Athena just passed 3,000 REVIEWS! Thanks guys! Ugh, and It's like in the 80's where I live... I'm wearing shorts, and people are going to the beach and pool...**

**Reviews and ideas are loved! See you all soon!**

**-BBH**


	22. Chapter 22: Nico

**HEY GUYS! I missed you all so much! Did you miss me? I had a great time at the Inauguration Conference. I met so many amazing people, went to the Inaugural Gala with a great (and socially awkward) guy, laughed at the private concert, and met all of those cool actors and Emmy winners and directors. But sadly, when I got home, I got sick:( **

**So, I've posted a new PJO one-shot called Billow. You should check it out! And chapter 4 of The Asylum on my other account is finally posted!**

**Sorry for Typos and OOCness! Filler chapter right here! Sorry about it, but I was in a tough position with unconscious Nico and needed to write something…**

**Happy Reading!**

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Chapter 22

Nico

The last thing Nico remembered was searing pain to the head and spinning colors, and a guy that look a whole lot like Percy Jackson…

There was no way that had been Percy. His brain said that to him. But his eyes told him, "YOU IDIOT! HE WAS RIGHT THERE!"

When Nico's eyes fluttered open, he automatically knew he was in a dream. He was in that floating state of not here and not there, but somewhere in the middle of all that. His head hurt like someone had hit him with a hammer, and he could hear his blood rushing in his ears.

He looked down at his body. Everything was intact, but his sword wasn't with him. Even though he was in a dream, he still wished that he had the comfort of a blade at his side. But then he thought that was kind of weird. No one else would understand how a death blade could be comforting.

Stretching in a lazy manner, he observed his new surroundings. No longer was he at a sunny beach in Kauai, Hawaii, next to Piper's Barbie Mansion. He was back in the House of Hades… or, at least, outside of it.

The gates loomed over him menacingly. They were closed again and Nico was afraid to try and go inside. But nonetheless, he pushed on the gates. They flew open without any trouble. He cautiously took a step inside, and he didn't teleport across the world to some other island.

Instead, the cavern got even darker, and the more steps he took to get inside, the darker it got. He couldn't see a single thing soon enough.

He put his hands out in front of him to try and see the way through touch, but all he hit was stone. His head knocked against it and throbbed even more. He touched his head and blood rubbed off on his fingers.

Laughter boomed behind him, and Nico whirled around. "Who's there?" he called, trying to muster enough power in voice to sound a little intimidating. Sadly, his voice cracked.

The laughter was the same that he had heard before in his other dreams. Nico forced himself to leave his safe rock wall and walk forward. The laughter didn't stop and got much louder as he approached the voice.

The lights started to get brighter as the torches began to illuminate the cavern again. Finally, Nico left the gates behind him and stood where he and his friends once had only a few hours before.

"Who are you?" Nico asked. "What do you want from me?"

"My name is Tityos, and it's not what I want from you, it's what I can do for you."

"Great, a salesman…" Nico muttered, but there was a thundering in the ground, followed by that same laughter, and the entire place was sent into nighttime.

Nico wasn't sure how longer he stood there in the darkness, but after a while, a single match was lit as footsteps neared him. They echoed through the cavern and bounced off of the rock walls. And a man, fifteen feet tall, approached.

The man was dressed in a suit that looked like it had been ironed a thousand times, with a bright red and dark green tie. The guys face was startling. He had a thousand scars covering his body, all through his dark brown eyes and up into his messy black hair.

Nico had seen this face before, during the Titan War. "Prometheus?" he asked.

"No, Tityos," the man corrected with a chuckle. "But I've heard that the resemblance is startling."

"Tityos?" Nico looked around, then met the man's gaze. He had to look straight up to see him correctly. The brown eyes bored into his own. They seemed millennia old and like they knew everything, kind of like Athena. "I've never heard of you in my entire life."

"Hm, pity," Tityos sighed. "I'm such a misunderstood man. But alas, there's nothing that I can do about that. I will have to leave that up to the Earth Mother."

"The Earth Mother… you work for Gaea?" Nico asked.

"Boy, not only do I work for Gaea," he said, "I'm her son."

"Wait, you're a giant?" Nico asked. He scrambled backwards, wishing that he had his sword again. His hands fumbled in his pockets for something, anything that he could use to his advantage. Every weapon that he had collected was gone, and he had no way to defend himself.

But Tityos didn't seem like he wanted to fight at all. He actually seemed amused by Nico's reaction. "Well, I'm pretty tall, am I not? Usually, that a dead giveaway that I'm some type of inhuman being. But yes, I am a giant. And I have no wish to fight you. It wouldn't be fair, seeing as you have no weapons, and you're in a dream anyway. No damage will be done. "

"You look just like Prometheus." Nico couldn't help himself. The guy took another step closer. He saw the scars again. They looked almost like tattoos. The man noticed Nico looking and took a step backward, like he was self-conscious about them.

"I'd like it if you didn't stare. It's rude," he scolded like an angry father. "But I suppose I am like Prometheus, in a way. I was chained and stretched in the Underworld, brought there by Apollo and Artemis, and then tortured by two vultures who fed on my liver, repeatedly, for all eternity."

"Then why do you have scars on your face?" Nico asked.

"Sometimes they missed," Tityos admitted. He held up one of his hands in front of the match. It too was covered in horrid scars.

"Why did they do that to you?"

"I did many… wrong things back then, but I hope you'll forget about those wrongs and hear me out for a few minutes. I have a proposal for you, Nico di Angelo, son of Hades."

"How did you escape the torture?"

"I have a few allies and friends, if you can believe it. They saved me from my punishment a few months ago, and I escaped the Underworld for the first time in such a long while. But enough on that. There's a war coming, Nico. And I'm afraid that you might not live to see the end of it."

"What?" Nico was sure he hadn't heard the giant right. "What do you mean that I might not live to see the end of it? And what war?"

Tityos held up a hand to silence Nico. "You sure ask a lot of questions. Instead of explaining this, I think it would be much easier to show you." The giant waved his hand in a high arc, and then motioned for Nico to look at the ceiling.

A video had begun to play. Nico couldn't make it out that well, but he could hear the muffled voice of a girl, reading a poem of some sort. "What is that supposed to be?" Nico asked. "I can't hear a thing!"

The video disappeared, and Tityos sighed. "It was your good friend Annabeth. There's a prophecy, son of Hades, and it involves you. I'm sorry, but if the prophecy is right, a sacrifice will have to be made, and that sacrifice might just be you."

"Me?" Nico's vision was getting black. His head hurt even more, and everything seemed to be spinning. "Why me?"

"I'm not sure. But here's what I can do about this. I can offer you a deal, and deal in which your friends, Percy and Annabeth, will live, and so will you. My mother asked me to tell you about this."

"If it had anything to do with Gaea, then I am not interested," Nico grumbled.

"Well, that's selfish. This could save yourself and your friends. All we want is your support in this war. We want you to be our spy."

"A spy?" He had to have been bit in the head by vultures a little too much.

"Yes, a spy. You are a son of the death god. You can shadow, can you not? You could go back and forth between us and enemy forces, translating information. You could help us, and none of your friends would get hurt. I think you would be selfish to turn down an offer like this."

A horrible memory appeared in Nico's mind. A dead Silena lying on the ground, and watching the camp burn her pink shroud after the war was over. Was this what had happened to Silena when Luke recruited her? Was she given these types of promises? Nico remembered her dead body on the ground. That had been such a lie, and so many of her friends had ended up dead.

"I would never be a spy for Gaea. You must think I am crazy."

"No, you must be crazy." Tityos didn't sound desperate or scared. He still sounded bored and a little amused. "This proposition could help you and your friends. You could all die unless you take this offer. Why not do it?"

"Because I don't trust Gaea at all. It's her fault that Percy and Annabeth are in Tartarus in the first place. And speaking of Percy, why in the name of Zeus did I just see him relaxing in Kauai?"

Tityos waved his hand. "That was just Triton, Percy's half brother. That doesn't matter right now though. What matters is that you could be a spy. I urge you to think about this a little bit. You would be saving lives."

"No thank you," said Nico. In his gut, he knew he was making the right decision. He had seen what had happened when Silena became a spy, and he didn't want anything like that to happen to him. "I'll find a way to save my friends and defeat your forces, and if that means I am going to die, then so be it."

"You are a fool and a child," grumbled Tityos. "Do you realize that the Greeks and Romans are lining up on the battlefield right now, preparing to kill each other off, one by one in a massive battle? Obviously you don't."

"There's a battle?"

"Yes, and people are going to die! You could prevent that by becoming a spy."

Nico felt nervous. He was starting to sweat. What if was making the wrong choice? It might be his fault that all of his friends, both Greek and Roman, would start to kill each other. He didn't want anything like that to happen, but he didn't want to join with Gaea. He had a feeling that more people would that way.

"My final answer is no. And we will beat you, and Percy and Annabeth will live."

"And you will die. I'm so sorry, Nico di Angelo. You could've been a great ally. But I see you choice had been finally made. The next time that we meet, I will no longer be a diplomat. I will be a giant, and you will be a demigod, and we will be enemies on the battlefield."

The a whoosh of cold wind, the burning match went out.

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**Reviews and ideas are loved. Review challenge! What's the weirdest movie you've ever seen? For me, it's the Cat Returns. It's a 2002 Japanese anime movie, and it is so… weird… **

**-BBH**


	23. Chapter 23: Annabeth

**This might be my favorite chapter so far:) I hope you think the same. I enjoyed writing it!**

**Sorry for typos/OOCness.**

**Happy Reading!**

* * *

Chapter 23

Annabeth

There was no way Nico was going to die.

It was completely improbable. Nico di Angelo was a young, teenage son of Hades that had been born many decades ago. He'd survived everything that the world and gods had thrown at him. He was the Ghost King and spent most of his time roaming the Underworld. There was no way he would forever reign in the Underworld.

"Prophecies always have double meanings," Annabeth said shakily. She was still gripping the Sibylline Book in her arms. "You know that. The Great Prophecy said that you were going to die, but it was Luke instead." It still hurt a little bit to think about him.

Percy shook his head and looked down. "Yeah, but someone still died. Actually, a lot of people died." He sounded pained.

Annabeth too looked down at the book. "Percy, look at this. The bottom of the page is burnt off. What if there's more to the prophecy? Maybe it's just incomplete. There are so many possibilities. Let's not just say that Nico is going to die right now."

Percy looked up, seeming a little calmer than he had before. "Maybe your right. I guess we have to move on. I mean, we have bigger things to worry about."

"Exactly. Now, think about the rest of the prophecy."

"It was so much longer than they usually are."

"Six to eight lines longer actually. But that's not the point. 'The Giant Stalks the Six Waiting for War. The Earth Mother Haunts at the Doors.' This confirms our suspicions. There is a giant watching us. But, I guess he's also looking at everyone else, since they're the six."

"Waiting for war? What war is that supposed to be?"

Annabeth thought about his question for a second, then snapped her fingers with realization. "Camp Half-Blood versus Camp Jupiter. The Giant is probably going to try and… influence them somehow."

"And the Earth Mother Haunts and the Doors. That's Gaea, and she's haunting the Doors of Death, but how? She not alive yet. And which set of Doors… there are two."

"Well, maybe it's like the gods and goddesses. They can be in multiple places in one time. Gaea wasn't alive when Leo was attacked by her as a child. She's comes into our minds all of the time. Maybe it's just her spirit or a shade of her that is coming after the demigods."

Annabeth looked down at the book again. The weight of it seemed to be even heavier than before. Feeling cold chills on her back, as she had before she'd even reached Camp Jupiter, Annabeth gingerly set the book back down on the pedestal. She shouldered her bag a little better.

It was nice to have all of her normal stuff back. She found a new sheath for her knife and attached it to her forearm. It seemed a little necessary. She was worried that something bad was going to happen, but when nothing did, she relaxed her shoulders.

Percy started walking around and observing everything. Annabeth went on the other side. They made sure that they didn't need anything else before descending the stairs again. Annabeth had to go slowly, which was a minor setback.

The boot wasn't made for running or walking fast. It was heavy; she was glad that she wasn't on crutches with this thing. The sole was curved, so she could rock on the shoe. Plus, it made her about four inches taller than she really was. But she couldn't jump in it. Her ankle was completely immobilized.

Another good thing was that her ribs almost felt normal again. That nectar had really helped her. The gauze wasn't showing that much blood. Her head felt fuzzy from the loss of it. She had a headache and thought about stopping in the medical section again, just to see if there were any aspirin.

"Can we stop there?" she asked, and he nodded. "We still have time to spare," he told her.

So they stopped on the medical floor again. Annabeth loaded her backpack with the things they needed. Some ambrosia and nectar, bandages, antiseptics. Her ankle tingled a little bit as she walked around. She grabbed a bottle of aspirin while she was walking around.

"Ready to go?" Percy asked. She nodded and then went back down to the lobby, or ground floor, or whatever it was supposed to be called.

As if the house knew that they were leaving, a new sign appeared right in front of them. Percy dodged out of the way, and Annabeth tried, but then she realized she could do less in the boot than she thought. She tried to squat out of the way, but her boot stopped it, and the sign hit her in the forehead and sent her backwards.

Her vision went black from a second and she found herself sprawled on her back. Her head wasn't bleeding, she knew that, but it throbbed. Her eyes were crossed as she tried to focus on the three Percy's above her.

"Oh… are… okay?" he asked. She couldn't certain part of what he was saying. His fingers touched her forehead. "Did… happened? Is… boot… idiot," he mumbled to himself at the end.

"I'm okay," she tried to say, but she sounded like she had no teeth. "I'm good."

"You got knocked pretty hard," he told her. He pointed to his own head. "You have a big knot, right here." He was pointing right between his eyes. "Are you sure you're okay? Do you want me to-"

"Don't sweat it," she told him, standing up. It didn't work. The stupid boot. She couldn't stand right up. She had to turn over onto her hands and knees and push herself to her feet. Percy tried to help her, but she refused him. She felt weak constantly needing his help.

She wasn't liking the boot as much anymore. It didn't help her at all, except for walking. Percy read her expression. "Annabeth, you need to keep it on. Don't worry, your ankle will get better soon, and then we can get rid of it."

She sighed. She knew he was right, but she didn't say anything back to him. Instead she read the sign that hit her. "'Thank you for visiting. Please return any unneeded items that you might have to the basket on the right.'"

Annabeth stopped and looked to the right. As the sign had said, there was a large bin completely empty except for a few bottles of lotion and a half eaten quesadillas. There was nothing that Annabeth felt like she needed to return.

Percy didn't put anything in the basket either. He felt like whatever he had taken, he should keep too.

She continued reading. "'Please feel free to take a complementary water on your way out, located on the left. Exit through the double doors in the back. No thanks for coming. I hope you die in a hole!' That's just lovely."

They turned to the left. A basket of bottled watered was there. Annabeth took one out. Nothing looked wrong with it. She took off the cap and leaned her head back, ready to take a sip.

Percy stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. "I'm not sure how safe that is."

"I'll spit it out if anything is wrong," she promised. She reached into her bag and took out two aspirin. Maybe it would help with her throbbing head too. She gulped the pills down with some water. It tasted perfectly fine and cooled her scratchy throat.

She cocked her head to the side and waited for something to happen. There was no pain, she felt okay. "It's fine," she told him and tossed him his own bottle. "You better keep one of these. I think we're going to need it."

He took it and studied it, and then shrugged. "If you say so."

They started walking towards the opposite side of the building, through the dusty rows of shelves and cases. File cabinets had overflowing amounts of paper. Then Percy stopped where he was. His back stiffened like he had been shocked. He coughed like he was clearing his throat and said, "The book."

This took her by surprised. She stopped and looked at him. "What? The Sibylline book?"

"We should've looked through it more. Let's go back up and read some more prophecies, Annabeth, while we still can. Think about all of the information in there." He turned around and grabbed her hand, pulling her back to the stairs.

She managed to stop him. "But Percy, then we'd be stealing."

"Annabeth, we aren't going to steal the books. We're just going to look through them."

"But Percy, that's still stealing. We'd be taking unneeded information. We don't need to know anything else in there. We've already learned enough. Let's leave this place before something bad happens."

"No, we're going back upstairs." Something in his voice had changed. It wasn't Percy. He gripped her arms with bruising force and pulled her to the stairs. This wasn't like him at all, and his grip hurt.

"Percy you're hurting me. Let go!" she demanded. He said nothing to her. They reached the stairs, and he started to carry her up the stairs. She tried to move her arms or grab her knife, but it wasn't helping at all. She couldn't escape, and something had happened to her boyfriend.

It was the eidolons. She was almost sure of it. "Percy, look at me," she said. Surprisingly, he did, but he didn't let go. But his eyes weren't gold like an eidolon. They were green, but unfocused. Something was possessing him. It was the only explanation now.

He started to go back up the stairs. She was running out of options. They were almost on the second floor. "I'm sorry about this," she breathed, and he kicked straight up between his legs.

It worked. He grunted and let go of her. She fell on her butt and he kept his eyes closed in pain. She started to scramble down the stairs, crawling. But his eyes opened. They were his normal green eyes, focused on her. His mouth parted in shock.

"Did I just do what I think I just did?" he asked. Annabeth nodded.

"Did I hurt you?" he asked, starting to inspect her. Her arms hurt a little bit, but that was okay.

"No, I'm fine," she insisted. "But what happened? You just started taking me to the book, and I was trying to reason with you, but you wouldn't listen so I decided to see if it was a eidolon. It wasn't; your eyes were the same. So I kicked you," she ended sheepishly.

"Yeah, and it kind of hurt. I'm sorry. I don't know what happened. It was like I couldn't control my body, but I know it wasn't an eidolon. I had this… urge, I guess, to just go back and read the books. I couldn't stop myself."

"Well, like I said before, let's just get the heck out of here before anything else happens."

They returned to the main floor and weaved themselves through the many isles of items, this time holding hands. Annabeth was ready to fight off whatever was trying to take over Percy. She made sure that her knife was completely accessible. She had a feeling that she would need it.

Then, out of the blue, a cold shiver ran down Annabeth. She straightened, involuntarily. There was a sharp pain in her head, something that aspirin wasn't going to help. And then it was like she was watching from afar.

She suddenly… wasn't herself.

_She had to find it. The voice her head was her master. She stepped away from the black haired man, whose hand was in her own. He looked startled. "What's wrong?" he asked. She did not answer. Her master said that he didn't deserve any answers. She always followed her master's instructions. _

_She walked away from the boy. He made sounds of protest and grabbed at her, but she dodged out of the way. She had one purpose. _

_As she had a thousand times before, she sprinted through the aisles until she found the exit. The stairs that went down instead of up. She smiled softly and walked in a trance like state to them. They were old and wooden, roped off. No matter, she had a knife._

_She brought the bronze dagger out and held it high._

I'm here for you, Earth Mother.

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**Thanks for reading! Review challenge: What's your favorite cartoon show? Mine is Avatar: The Last Airbender (Zuko:)!**

**Reviews and ideas are loved. Someone reviewed saying I was really weird. My response: Did you just figure that out?:)**

**-BBH**


	24. Chapter 24: Jason

**NEW RICK RIORDAN BOOK, OUT MAY 7****th****! That's right, you heard it here (Or perhaps his blog or Twitter?). Riordan is writing a Percy Jackson/Kane Chronicles crossover called the Son of Sobek, which will be about forty pages long and comes out this spring. You can go to his blog and find the link to read the exclusive excerpt!**

**Sorry for Typos/OOCness. Oh, and I am SO happy that the Raven's won the Super Bowl! GO BALTIMORE! GO MARYLAND!**

**Happy Reading!**

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Chapter 24

Jason

The entire situation screamed, "CRAZY!" in Jason's head, but they needed Triton's help to get back to Greece, and if that meant Piper had to go surfing against him then… well, there was no other choice.

Jason would've rather just electrocuted the god until he untied Nico and told them the information, but Piper seemed bent on going surfing. She grabbed Hazel and they both ran back to the vacation home to go change and get ready.

Piper said that she had one of her old surf boards in the storage basement of the house, since Triton even offered to get her one. He too seemed excited to have a competition. Jason wondered how long it had been since he'd surfed against another person. Maybe it had been years, or maybe he picked off helpless demigods every weekend.

Jason stood uncomfortably next to Triton, Leo, Frank, and an unconscious Nico. Everyone stared at each other like they were aliens. Leo broke the ice. "So, how's your day been going?"

"Wonderfully," mutter Jason sarcastically. "I bet if Nico were awake, he would agree too."

"Hm, mine would be a lot better if I didn't have to deal with fools," sighed Triton.

"Touche," Frank said quietly, loud enough for only Jason to hear. He cracked a smile. Frank smiled back and coughed. He played with the string on his bow, probably contemplating whether or not he should attack a certain someone. Jason was going to beat him to it.

"You know, you guys to surf instead," Triton pointed out. "It doesn't have to be Aphrodite's brat."

"Don't speak about Piper that way," Jason snarled, brandishing his sword now and aiming it at Triton's throat. Frank aimed an arrow and Leo pulled out a Swiss Army Knife.

He laughed. "Try and use those puny weapons against me. I dare you. And not only will you never get back to Greece, but your friends will die slowly and Piper McLean will drown to death. Now, it's your choice. "

Angrily, Jason shoved the gold sword back in the sheath. Rage welled inside of him at the man. Maybe this was how he felt when people called him Percy. Jason couldn't be sure. But the rage inside of him was blinding, and he was ready to take the man out.

He turned around to go to the house and find one of Piper's father's bathing suits, but Piper and Hazel were walking off of the deck and out of the trees just as he had done so.

Jason had never seen Piper in a bathing suit, but now seeing her, he felt his face turn entirely red. Piper looked almost too good in her one piece black bathing suit and old ratty t-shirt. Her hair was pulled back into a sloppy braid and she was stalking towards them with a surfboard over her head.

Hazel had changed too. She was wearing new, blue jean shorts and a Billabong beach shirt, probably also Piper's. She carried their spare weapons and bags in her arms. She had a huge smile on her face for some reason, and seeing them both happy, Jason's anger melted away. When he looked at his friends, he could see that their faces were lightening too.

Piper had a beautiful grin, but she was walking with her Don't Mess With Me posture. Something about her body language told Jason that she was definitely ready for this. "So, you ready to lose?" she taunted.

Jason gulped loudly. Everyone probably heard him. But heck, he was nervous for her. "Well, I'll just be in the water then," Triton replied coldly, and he left the group.

"Piper, are you sure about this?" Leo asked, resting his hand on Piper's shoulder. "I mean, you're going against Triton, who has the complete power of the ocean behind him. He's going to throw everything at you."

"I'm expecting the worst," Piper admitted. "But that's all you can do in these situations. I've already put my surfwax on here, so maybe that will help." She sounded like she doubted that. "This is going to end quickly. But, we do have an advantage, in some ways."

"What do you mean by that?" asked Frank.

Hazel was giddy. It was really weird to see her like that. "Because Piper has us," she said. "Triton may be throwing everything he has at Piper, but we can throw everything we have back at him. We have fire power, earth power, air power. All he has are some waves."

"And sharks, and squids, and probably Percy's hurricane abilities," Leo pointed out.

"Doesn't matter. But we're going to have and try to do this, all together as a team. So far, we haven't been united enough. But come on. We're demigods, and we've been through so much in the past few days. Let's do this as a family, and save our friends and get out of here."

They all stuck their hands in, like they were part of a team. And in a way, they were. They cried, "For our friends!" at the same time.

Piper kissed Jason's and Leo's cheeks. She gave Hazel and Frank two big bear hugs. "Well, if this doesn't end up good, then I'm glad that I've had the pleasure in knowing you all." She saluted to them as well.

Jason tried to say something to Piper, to kiss her one last time, but she was already away from them. She put the black surf leash around her ankle and wadded into the water, away from them, and away from Jason.

He watched as she lay down on the surfboard and started to paddle out. She directed the board up when a wave came towards her, and when one was about to break over her head, she sliced under the water like a torpedo and popped out on the other side, covered in salt water.

Somehow, Jason found himself chewing on his finger nail, and hoping that everything would end up fine.

He gazed out past Piper. Way far off shore, Triton was sitting crisscross on his own surfboard. Whereas Piper's was sort of old, and had obviously been used multiple times, his looked brand new. Piper had a white surfboard, which was now stained a little yellow-ish, with blue Roxy logos all over it, his was blue and green like it had been molded straight from the waves that Piper was still trying to maneuver over.

"Get ready, you guys," Hazel told them. "Especially Jason and Frank. You two will help us the most. When they started paddling in, we have to unleash everything on Triton. And Leo, get some flames ready. You never know if we're going to need it."A small flame appeared in his palm and spread to his fingertips.

Jason nodded in agreement. He felt the winds around him pick up a little, and his feet lifted off of the ground. Only an inch or two, but he was floating now. Frank was walking to the shoreline and taking off his shoes. Jason wondered what he was going to turn into.

Finally, Piper reached Triton. Jason couldn't make out what they were saying but, they both turned around and got back down on the boards and started to swim. Triton was using one arm and resting his heading with the other, while Piper was using both hands and struggling to keep up.

"This isn't looking that good," mumbled Leo. Jason nudged him to shut up.

"I wish I could do something," Hazel said longingly. "I don't think anything that I can do will help us in this situation."

All of a sudden, a wave three stories tall erupted from the water. Triton's doing, no doubt. Jason felt his jaw hit the sand as they watched. Even Piper was watching the wave. Jason could make out her horrified expression.

Piper and Triton began to paddle even faster, Triton for the sport, and Piper for dear life.

The wave was drawing the tides back and the two people at the same time. Piper and Triton were slowly being pulled up to near the top of the wave, both of them still paddling. At around the same time, they hopped onto their boards, using their arms to support them, and the wave began to crash.

Jason felt his mind go in slow motion as he watched them both balance themselves on their boards, cutting through the water. They were almost a mile off of the shore, but Jason had a feeling that this ride wasn't going to last that long.

It was time for them to leap into action. Triton was having no trouble at all, as he was still on the board, letting the small currents he was creating keep his board going in a straight line. Piper was zigzagging this way and that, cutting quickly and taking sharp turns to stay on her board.

Frank had already dived into the water, and Jason saw a shark fin appear. He leapt into the air and felt the winds carry him at amazing speed towards his girlfriend. Sadly, he couldn't electrocute Triton. That would result in hurting Piper too.

They were already nearing the shore, and surprisingly, neither of them had wiped out yet. Frank was now nearing Triton. The god looked mildly confused at first, but then laughed.

"Looks like the demigods don't like to play by the rules. That's okay; neither do I."

Water sprayed off of his board as he turned to the other direction. Obviously, it had to go right into Piper's face, and she faltered on her board almost fell into the waves. Jason swooped down and steadied her lightly.

Thankfully, she didn't freak out because of his touch. She allowed herself to be steadied and didn't lose her footing. Since she was moving and turning to so fast, it was hard for Jason to keep up, but he managed.

He took off from her and she and Triton were still going. Jason swooped down, electricity on his fingers, ready to give Triton a shock that would hurt him but wasn't strong enough to hurt Piper.

Unfortunately, Triton had anticipated the move. He struck Jason in the gut when he got close enough and never lost his composure. He crouched down, maybe to get more speed, maybe to dodge him, Jason didn't know. He had no idea how surfing was supposed to work.

Frank bumped into Triton's board. Hard. Triton slammed forward, head first at the water. A gush of water shot out of the sea and acted as a ledge for him. He used to it to adjust himself back on the board.

A thousand bad names to call him rushed through Jason's head. He frowned and floated back into the air. Looking at the shore, he saw Hazel and Leo, cheering for them. He could also see Nico, still tied up and still unconscious.

Behind Jason, there was a loud gasp. Terror leaked into his veins as he realized that the voice was that of Piper. He didn't think and he didn't look. He just trusted his instincts. And somehow, he ended up saving Piper from falling over for the second time.

He kept his arms around Piper as she steadied herself again. Her muscles were completely tensed with fear of falling down. Her feet were almost together, and he was sure they were supposed to be spread out.

"Don't fall down," he yelled in her ear. She nodded slowly and relaxed back into her position. "I believe in you." He let her go and she zipped away.

Time to take out Triton.

Jason slammed into him as hard as he could. Triton cursed like a sailor and tried to stay on the board, but Frank rammed into the board too. Jason wrapped his fingers around Triton's neck and felt lightning course through him and into his enemy.

Triton spasmed and his legs gave out from underneath him as he crashed down into the water. His surfboard flipped up and hit him on the head. Jason heard him scream, and a sheet of icy water (in Hawaii?) hit him in the face. He hurtled through the air yelling. But at the same time, he was happy too. Triton hadn't been such a big, tough god after all. A little lightning and some Frank as a shark had proven that.

He stopped himself from falling about thirty feet in the air. He surveyed the area and what had happened. Triton still hadn't surfaced yet. And Piper was on the beach, surfboard at her side, along with Frank.

Nico was still asleep, but not for long if Triton kept up his promise. They had won, not fair and not square, but it was still a victory.

Jason landed on the beach with a thud, sand and water coating his clothes. Piper leapt on him with a hug. He hugged her back, glad that she was okay. "You're okay," he said, over and over again, running his hands over her hair. "Thank the gods you're okay."

"Thanks to you and Frank I am."

"I didn't even get to do anything," complained Leo, just joking around. They all got into a group hug, laughing and happy. Nico groaned loudly. Maybe he was starting to wake up. That was even better. Jason felt like nothing could stop him. At least, until he heard the impatient noise behind them.

Jason turned around and saw Triton standing by the shoreline. Golden blood was flowing down his neck, next to a giant burn mark that Jason had given him. And he looked angry.

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**Wow, this chapter seemed a lot longer when I wrote it...**

**Reviews and ideas are loved! Review Challenge: How old were you when you read your first PJO book? I was in 5th grade!**

**-BBH**


	25. Chapter 25: Percy

**Sorry for typos/OOCness! I'm sorry that it is so short, but I am suffering from a terrible disease known as Writer's Block.**

**Happy Reading!**

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Chapter 25

Percy

"ANNABETH!" he yelled as he chased after his girlfriend through the aisles of the store. She was so fast that he had already lost her, but he could still hear her footsteps.

Percy remembered the feeling of when he'd been overcome by the spirit, or whatever had possessed him. He'd felt pain for a second, and then it was like he wasn't even himself. Now, like before, he just wanted to leave the thrift shop. But when he'd been possessed, he just wanted to stay there forever. He wanted everything in the store for himself.

He automatically knew Annabeth's mind had been taken too. He ran after her until he finally saw her, knife raised high the air, standing in front of a staircase. Not the one Percy had been trying to run up, but one that led down.

It was the level that had been scratched out on the directory. And whatever had Annabeth wanted her to go down it.

Annabeth turned around, perhaps sensing Percy. She snarled at him. Percy drew his sword and swiped at her. She jumped back. "Stay away," she hissed. "You do not belong here. Leave!" She shrieked the last word.

There was something about the way she was saying it that made Percy feel like her really should leave. He gulped, and his felt himself moving backwards, even though his mind was screaming to fight whatever was inside of her.

She smiled. "That's better." Then, before he could blink, she rushed at him and kicked him in the chest.

It was like being hit by Tyson. All the air in him went away and he couldn't breathe as his back hit the hard ground. His eyes squeezed shut; he bit his tongue. Riptide flew down the aisle and he was left weaponless with a crazy girlfriend who wasn't in her right mind.

There were not that many options left for him. He had a feeling their relationship wouldn't help him in this situation. He couldn't go get his sword; she was obviously quicker than he was. He couldn't carry her out of the building; she'd probably stab him to death.

Annabeth wasn't even paying attention to him anymore. Once again, she stood before the roped-off stairs with her knife above her head. Her lips moved like she was chanting, but Percy couldn't hear anything coming from her.

Without thinking **(A/N: I have a feeling that every time Percy does something without thinking, he's just like, "YOLO!") **Percy lunged for Annabeth. He hit her in the side and they fell down on the ground and rolled away from the staircase. Annabeth's dagger had flown in some direction. She was spitting and cursing at Percy, but he refused to let her go.

Annabeth clawed at his throat and drew blood. Percy wrapped his hands around her wrists and pushed her arms back. She kicked and snapped her teeth and a wild animal. It was even worse than when the Sirens had controlled her.

Now she was screaming. "Let me go, Percy!" she yelled, but her voice wasn't her own. Her gray eyes were unfocused. She looked desperate, like if she didn't go down the stairs she was going to die.

Percy no longer had any curiosity about what was down there. He just wanted to get the heck out with a well, okay Annabeth who was in her right mind.

Percy remembered what had happened when he had been possessed, just a few minutes ago. Annabeth had kicked him hard, and that general area still really hurt. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her, but if it was for the greater good…

"Sorry about this," he whispered, and he punched her square in the face.

He cringed more than she did. Her head knocked against the floor and blood spurted from her nose, which Percy really hoped wasn't broken. Her eyes focused back on him, and she looked really confused.

Percy let go of her wrists and sat up. Annabeth stayed on the ground. She touched her nose and studied the blood that came off on her fingers like she didn't know why it was there. Then her eyes go stormy and huge with realization.

"Oh no," she said. "What just happened? Was I…?"

"Yeah, you were. Sorry about your nose," he told her. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a bag of ambrosia. He gave her a piece and she ate it slowly. "Is it broken?" he asked and hoped the answer was no.

She pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head. "No it's not broken. The blood flow should stop soon." She glanced around and found her knife a few feet away. She scurried over and sheathed it. "So, something possessed me. Wonderful."

"What was going on?" he asked.

"I don't know. I was compelled to go down there. I think it was…" She got a scared look on her face as if everything was coming together. Percy was used to that face. She was the one to make the calculations. "It was Gaea. I am sure of it. Something that was loyal to her was trying to get us killed."

"Gaea?" Percy couldn't even act surprised anymore. It was always her. "That's great. Let's get the heck out of here." They both looked around, and Percy felt that whatever had been inside of them was still there, in the room.

He moved forward, but Annabeth stopped him. "Percy, it all makes sense."

"What does?"

"Why the spirit or whatever wanted us dead. Don't you remember from back above? When we were fighting Chrysaor and his army on the Argo II, he said he couldn't kill us because we were needed to help bring Gaea back. We were supposed to be a sacrifice. I have a feeling that they still want us to be that sacrifice."

"That does make sense," Percy said. "And it gives us even a bigger reason to _leave!" _

"Right," Annabeth agreed.

But then there was laughter. To be more specific, the laughter of none other than Gaea.

_You think that you can just walk out of here, high and mighty like the heroes that you aren't. You two are nothing more than pawns in a giant chess match, and I am the queen. I make the calls and you two merely work for me, whether you know it or not._

Percy and Annabeth walked away slowly, but they stopped when they heard her laughing again. _No, I think I'll keep you both. You aren't going to leave yet, are you? The fun has just begun. _

Something tugged on Percy, and he turned around. There was no one there. He gulped. "Did you feel that?" he asked Annabeth.

"Feel what?" she said, turning around, her head cocked. "There's no one there. Gaea just getting to your head. Let's- AHHHHHH!" she screamed and Percy yelped. Their feet went out from underneath them, like an invisible cord was pulling them.

He felt them being pulled back at the stairs. He had a short flashback. Him and Annabeth being pulled into Tartarus because of the spider silk on Annabeth's ankle. But this was like someone was inhaling them, like a fan in reverse.

All at once, it stopped, and they shot to their feet. Percy didn't waste any time thinking about why Gaea had stopped, or what was down there. Annabeth's nose had started to bleed again, but that wasn't a big priority.

They both ran away from the stairs. When they reached the back door, there was a small sign that said _Come See Us Again._

"I don't think that's going to happen," Percy grumbled. Annabeth nodded quickly. They nudged open the doors. Old wind and dust clouds hit them like bullets. Gaea was laughing at them again. _Run away, little pawns, _she coaxed._ Run away like you always do. Just know that I have the power to do what I please, and right now, you work for me. _

Percy took one step and stopped. A skeleton hung in front of him, and he was in a sea of graves.

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**Thanks for reading! Review Challenge: What are your top three favorite novels? Mine are: Divergent by Veronica Roth; Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi; The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin. If you haven't read any of those, I suggest you drop whatever you are reading and READ THEM NOW! They are all amazing, and if you truly loved me, you would read them. LOL, just kidding about that last part, but you should read them! If you want to know what they are about, just PM me. Also, I have a story for Divergent, called **_**Are You Scared**_**? You can check it out if you want!**

**Reviews and ideas are loved!**

**-BBH**


	26. Chapter 26: Nico

**Happy Valentine's Day! Sorry that I couldn't post it on the day, but I was LOADED with work! Right now, I'm watching Skyfall. I have to go see Beautiful Creatures, since I am a HUGE fan of the book!**

**Sorry for Typos and OOCness!**

**Happy Reading!**

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Chapter 26

Nico

Nico awoke to yelling.

His muscles stiff like he had been sleeping for days. His head hurt, his eyes would barely stay open, and the sky was much too bright. He had sand in uncomfortable place, his limbs were bind, and he heard the arguing between people.

The dream he'd had was still billowing around his is mind like a hurricane. The giant, Tityos, had been unbelievably proper and way too much like Prometheus for Nico's liking. And he had proclaimed that Nico would die. That was always good news to hear.

Part of Nico had wanted to agree to his proposition. If it meant saving his friends, then he should have. But giants and gods and titans all fell into a category that Nico called the 'Never Believe Them' category. They always told half of the truth and usually lied.

He forced himself to focus on their faces. He recognized his friend's faces. Jason was in front of Piper like he was trying to protect her, and Frank, Hazel, and Leo were standing in a little triangle a few feet away.

"Listen, Triton," thundered Jason. "Piper won. She beat you. Now untie Nico and give us the information."

Triton? Nico shifted his head to where they were glaring. The guy that looked a lot like Percy was there, standing in the surf, his face completely red with rage, and a surf board at his feet. Only then did Nico realize that Piper had had a surf board too.

How much had happened while he had been knocked out?

He remembered then what Tityos had said. Percy was still stuck in Tartarus, and his half brother Triton was in Kauai with them. Why Triton was in Hawaii, Nico still wasn't sure, but right now, it looked like he was looking for surfing competitors.

"You're lying scumbags and disgusting cheaters," he hissed at them. With his anger, the tide started coming in at a rapid, unnatural pace. Nico looked down the beach and watched all of the people move their chairs back.

The tide came all the way up to Nico and started to soak his clothes. It reminded Nico of why he didn't like the beach that much. But wet clothes weren't a big issue. Nico was starting to look at the big picture.

If Triton didn't stop, it could be a tsunami. Should he start talking, or should he pretend to be asleep?

"It's not like we were the only ones," Piper shot back. "You cheated too. Every time you almost fell off, you just made the ocean save you and bring you back up. I'm a daughter of Aphrodite; that kind of stuff doesn't exactly work out for me, if you know what I am saying."

Triton's anger rose again. The tide started to go past Nico. He was fully awake and moving as best as he could now, but no one even noticed him. They were too busy being mad at each other to even care about Nico.

"I wanted to see how you would do. Obviously you wouldn't win the competition; I'm just too good for you. But you should've tried. I want to be on the better man's side of this war, because they usually win. Of course you'll all agree it is Gaea's, but with the performance you just made, I'd say you both are the same in your intentions."

That was like a slap in the face, but somehow humbling at the same time. All of them were taken aback. Leo even stumbled like he wanted to physically get as far away from Triton as he could. Nico wanted to, but there was the fact that he was still tied up.

Something in the air changed, and they all pulled their weapons. Jason had his sword and Piper took her dagger from him. Frank had an arrow notched, Hazel had her sword, and Leo had the Archimedes Sphere at its normal size in his hands. Nico sure didn't want lazer mode to go off.

They were preparing for a fight, because something told Nico that Triton wasn't going to let them leave alive.

_Think fast_, he yelled at himself. He didn't have anything to use. He had left most of his belongings by the pool. He had a pocket knife in his pocket (duh) but he couldn't reach it with how his hands were tied. The most he could do was flail like a fish and make stupid sounds with the gag in his mouth.

_Okay Nico, prioritize. _

His hands could touch the ground and lie flat, and Nico had a flashback to when he was ten and had found out that Bianca was dead. He had been so mad at Percy, at the skeleton soldiers, at life in general, that he had put a crack in the ground that was still at Camp Half-Blood.

Another time, about half a year later, Nico had been in the Labyrinth with Percy, Annabeth, and Rachel. To prevent Kronos/Luke from attacking them and monsters following them, he had caused giant rocks to come out of the ground and close the cave.

And just a few hours ago, if that was how long it had been, Nico had almost broken Piper's kitchen. He was powerful and needed to learn how to control his powers without being scared of mad.

But he had the advantage. He was a little bit scared of the situation. And he was mad that he was tied to a pole. He thought momentarily how much easier it would've been if he could just Shadow Travel out of there, but apparently that wasn't working anymore.

He imagined Triton falling all the way down to Tartarus and being stuck down there, like he had been and Percy and Annabeth now were. He imagined every single person that he hated just dying with a blink of his eye or a twitch of his hand.

The ground shook with Nico's powers. His eyes closed and he could hear the worried screams of tourists and the shocked gasps of his friends. He could hear Triton yelling at them. "What trickery is this?"

With a rip, the ground tore in half, from Nico's feet. He didn't fall in. He almost felt… happy.

Nico's eyes flew open, and he wasn't tied up in the middle of Hawaii, causing mass destruction and probably injuring tons of people. His friends weren't there, Triton wasn't there. Everything had completely changed.

He was running through Tartarus with practically nothing. He darted over the ice bridge. The entire ocean had frozen over. The monsters were much too close to him and he couldn't afford to die now with no one else to help him.

He had to get the Doors of Death before anything happened. He had to close them so everything would be alright, and there wouldn't be a war with the giants. He could save all of his friends and make everything right again, so long as he found them in time.

Nico felt terrible, like he had already died. He hadn't slept since he had ended up in Tartarus. His body felt like a sack of potatoes, and he didn't even need to breathe anymore. He wanted nothing more than to sleep in a bed.

A giant mismatched house was in front of him, surrounded by a barbed-wire gate with a lock on it. He heard the screeching behind him and he knew that he didn't have any time to spare. He reached into his pocket and took out his pocket knife. It was just small enough to be able to pick it with.

He fitted the knife into the lock and twisted it around. The screeching and cackling was getting louder. He could almost hear the beating of wings. He kept moving it and then it clicked. The lock opened up and he pushed the gate open and pulled it shut behind him.

Nico didn't bother staying around to see if the monster was catching up to him. He sprinted to the steps of the house and took them two at a time. He kicked the front doors of the building open and shut them swiftly.

He was safe. He was in a house. He was in a… thrift shop? **(A/N: Sorry, but I can't help but start singing Macklemore's Thrift Shop. "I'm gonna pop some tags, only got twenty dollars in my pockets. I-I'm hunting, looking for a come-up. This is fucking awesome." I love that song…)**

The entire floor was lined with crazy item that didn't even make sense. Knickknacks and stupid gag gifts were everywhere, practically spilling off of the shelves. He was almost happy to see these kinds of things. As long as they weren't monsters, they were like family. A trail dust now covered him like a second layer of skin. He coughed and it floated around his body like a giant cloud. He looked like a ghost.

Then he took one step forward. And then ended up on his back with his head hurting like crazy.

A sign was hanging in front of him when he stood up, rubbing his forehead. He didn't really read it, but he got the gist of it. If you stole anything you died. Please sign in, blah blah blah. He past the sign in sheet and walked through the aisles. He didn't feel like taking anything. He wanted to get out of there and find the Doors of Death. He hoped to the gods that the monster had forgotten about him.

When he found the other side of the building, something tugged on him. He turned around, and no one was there.

"Who's there?" he asked. No one answered him. He sighed and felt his body shaking. "Come on Nico, you've come too far to lose it over a little wind or something. Quit being paranoid." He shook his hair out and tried to reach for the handle.

Something tugged on him again, and this time, he ended up on the ground. He cursed and shouted something. He tried to stand back up, but the thing kept tugging on him, and started pulling him back.

He glanced at his leg, and there wasn't anything on it. Some invisible force was tugging on him. It pulled him through the aisles and away from both of the doors, to a different side that he hadn't bothered to observe. He didn't think it was important.

Nico clawed at the ground and tried to grab onto bins and shelves, but the force was much too strong for him. It kept pulling him and he knew he was a goner. Wonderful.

And then, a staircase came into his vision. It led down, probably below ground to a basement or storage area. A rope tied it off. Why would a force be pulling him down there? It had to be more than just extra Wal-Mart space. Where was he going?

"Help!" he screamed, and no one answered him. Instead, he heard laughter. A woman's laughter that he had heard before. It was that of Gaea. "Help!" he yelled again, but the laughter only got louder and madder.

He took one last look at everything around him, and thought, _I'm sorry for failing everyone_. Then he was pulled down the stairs into darkness.

When his eyes opened, Nico was back in Hawaii. The ground was still shaking, and the crack in the ground had spread to Triton and Triton only. The god was hanging onto the side of the ground like he was clinging to a cliff. He was yelling and the ocean was not helping him. It was only falling down the giant chasm.

Nico thought about the Tartarus vision for a split second. He was starting to remember some of the things that had happened during his time in Tartarus. That was good, but this situation was not.

The earthquake stopped. The crack in the earth stopped spreading. Nico's binds had fallen off, and he stood to his feet, observing the destruction that he had caused.

_What have I done?_

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**Thanks for reading! So, I've posted a Percabeth oneshot in honor of Valentine's Day called Glass Vases. I'd love it if you checked it out. Also, I have my Valentine's Day story from last year known as Camp HalfBlood: Five Valentine's Day Love Stories. Please check that out too! **

**Reviews and ideas are loved!**

**-BBH**


	27. Chapter 27: Annabeth

**MY MARK OF ATHENA FANFIC JUST BECAME THE NUMBER 1 MOST REVIEWED PJO FANFIC! Thank you all so much for making this possible. I know it will not always be like that, but for now, I just have to thank you. **

**Sorry for typos/ EXTREME OOCness. (You've been warned, so no hater comments about it) And the super late update. **

**Happy Reading!**

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Chapter 27

Annabeth

Right when Annabeth came face to face with the corpse, she almost wanted to run back inside and hide in Bath and Body Works.

In one clean swipe, she brought her knife down on the dead body. The bones and remaining pieces of rotted flesh clattered to the hard, cold ground in a small pile. Even though she should've, and was, disgusted, she was also kind of happy that she could actually use her knife again.

"Where are we?" she muttered.

"A sea of graves," Percy said. He wasn't looking at her, but staring out at the vast space beyond them.

It was a pretty accurate statement. All that Annabeth could see were tombstones that were scattered aimlessly across the ground in no order. Some of the stones were small, and others were large, twice the size of Annabeth and then some. They looked decades or centuries old, all in different languages. She spotted French, Spanish, Russian… there were too many and she couldn't decipher them all.

Of course, there were a few in English too. The dates went as far back as the early 1400's. Some of the Greek and Latin tombs that sat above ground were dated back to over 3,000 years ago. And those were only the ones surrounding her. She looked east and west, and the graves kept spreading as far as she could see.

But there were none of them in front of the house, and Annabeth could see the fence blocking the other side. Instead of being barbed wire with the 'Get out and stay out' vibe, it was a nice picket fence that you would see around an old, countryside home. It was made of regular plywood. It didn't fit in much, but the entire place was mismatched, so why not?

Graveyards weren't that scary to Annabeth. She loved Thriller. But what scared her were the dead bodies that lurked beneath the ground, decaying. And in this case, about half of the bodies were above ground.

The bones that were at her feet were not the only ones. Some bodies hung from the tops of gravestones, with nooses around their heads, eyes open like they had just died yesterday. Others had withered away into nothing and remained on the ground, near their graves.

Annabeth backed up without realizing it and trip over something. Her arms wheeled around her body as she tried to catch onto something, but her boot was too heavy and she fell right on her butt.

"Ugh," she grumbled. "Why is it always me?"

She looked past her legs to see what she had fallen on, and yelped. It was another dead body. She scrambled to her feet and jumped over it to the best of her ability. She rejoined Percy quietly. He hadn't even noticed that she had fallen down.

Percy was still staring at the dead bodies like he was in a trance. "Percy?" she asked. He didn't pay attention, just blinked slowly, like he was still trying to process the scene.

"Percy?" she repeated, a little more persistent. He shushed her and took a few, careful steps forward, his eyes halfway closed like he was wishing that his eyes could zoom in. Annabeth tried to follow his gaze but couldn't tell which one of the many things he could be looking at.

So she just followed him. "Lead the way then, Seaweed Brain."

He didn't go far, and once they got close to the grave he had been staring at, he pointed with a shaky finger. Annabeth had seen Percy shaken up before. Heck, just a few minutes ago they had been attacked by Gaea's mind controlling forces. But he looked like he wanted to get sick and run away at the same time.

"Look," he whispered.

Annabeth knelt down. It was one of the smaller, newer grave stones, and it had no date to go along with it. She looked the writing. Her heart fluttered a little bit in pain and fear.

**In Memory of Bianca di Angelo**

**Daughter of Hades**

**May She Rest In Peace**

"But she was never buried," Percy said, brushing dirt off of the words. "We never even found her body. She can't be buried here if there wasn't a body to bury."

"Well, Percy, I'm not digging at the grave to if there is a body or not. So let's just say, hypothetically, that it is. How did it get here, and are there any other bodies that we know?" Annabeth got back up with trouble and took Percy's hand, pulling him away from 'Bianca's' grave.

They should've left the graveyard and kept on going, searching for the Doors of Death, but Annabeth had some weird premonition that they should keep looking. They had to keep looking at everything, because they had no idea where they were. They could even be in a grave. They were called the Doors of Death… it would kind of make sense.

And, they were desperate.

They weaved themselves in and out of the graves, and Annabeth studied every one of them. Since they were all in different languages, she had a hard time reading them. But for the ones she could read, she noticed a recurring pattern.

Fille de Hermes. Sohn von Ares. Tochter Hebe. Son of Zeus. They were all demigods.

"Percy, there all demigods," Annabeth told him. He nodded in acknowedgement. "So what if this place is like a graveyard for only demigods. Afterall, we burn shrouds. Maybe there bodies end up here in Tartarus, with gravestones."

"But how and why would someone do that?" Percy asked, gesturing to the many miles of gravestones. "Think about how much work this must've been. So many people have died… and… Oh gods…" Realization dawned all over Percy's face.

"What? What is it?" Annabeth was humored by the fact that Percy knew something before she did, but the suspense was killing her.

"If all demigods are buried here, then wouldn't Luke and Silena and everyone else we know that has died be here?"

Annabeth's heart fluttered involuntarily at Luke's name. Even though she loved Percy, there was still a small part of her that would always love Luke. And she missed him a lot. They had always been best friends, like a brother and a sister. Whenever she needed something, he had always been there. That is, until he went over to the Titan's side, but she hated to think of him as a traitor, even if he kind of was one.

And all of her other friends that had died. Silena, Beckendorf, Lee, Castor, Michael, and all of her other friends that had died in battle. Their bodies could all be there, buried, and… that was a horrible thought.

"No, I don't want to think that," Annabeth said shakily. She gulped loudly.

"Why?"

"I can't think of them being buried down here in Tartarus. That is no way for them to be honored for what they did. I don't know if they're down here or how they got here, but I have no desire to even find out." It had already been hard enough seeing Bianca's grave.

"Well, why don't we just go look for their graves at least?" Percy offered. He looked genuinely intrigued.

"But Percy, why would we do something like that?" She walked up to him and put her hands on his shoulders. "What good will it do us to see if their bodies are down here? It's not like if we find them it'll bring them back to life. What we do know is that they all died heroes, and they ended up in Elysium, and I hate the fact that their bodies may or may not be down here."

Percy stared at her for a second, but then he nodded very slowly. "I guess I see your point. But still…"

"It's better to let it be," she told him softly, her hands still on his shoulders. "I don't think the Doors of Death are here either. I say we leave now while we're still sane and okay and continue on to wherever we're going."

The green tinted moon shone down on them while they weaved in and out of the graves, towards the fence. They were about half a mile away from Where the Lost Are Revealed, but it still loomed over them like a skyscraper. But she knew the true secrets from inside there.

Gaea had called them her pawns, and herself the queen. Annabeth had always loved chess, but after what Gaea had said, she was ready to never play the game again.

But the earth mother's words haunted her mind. Were they really just part of her plan and working for her without knowing it? It didn't seem like it to her, but what if Gaea really did have a plan and they were just doing everything accordingly. A chill ran down her spine.

Percy stopped again in front of another grave. His jaw had sort of gone slack, and she looked down at the grave. Her own jaw hit the ground with a thud.

**In Memory of Luke Castellan**

**Son of Hermes**

**May He Rest In Peace**

Annabeth didn't even wait for Percy. She stalked away from the grave, tears forming in her eyes. She brushed them away angrily. Why was she crying? She commanded herself to stop, but the tears kept coming.

"Quit it, Annabeth," she murmured to herself.

Then she felt a hand on her back, and she jumped. She looked over, and it was Percy. He pulled her to him, not possessively, but like he was trying to be comforting. She buried her head in his shoulder and felt terrible, like she betrayed Percy with every single tear that fell down her cheeks.

Percy just whispered comforting words in her ear and rubbed circles on her back. "I know," he said over and over again.

Annabeth hadn't realized how much she missed Luke being there. She wished he were still alive and that he and Percy were actually friends and they could all be happy. And it wasn't only Luke. It was the fact that all of her friends probably were in this graveyard and there was nothing she could do about it. It was the fact that they were dead and she was still alive.

She wasn't sure how long she cried, but she eventually pulled away and sniffed. Percy's shoulder was completely wet, and she felt herself blush. "I'm sorry," she mumbled.

"It's okay," he told her, gripping her hand. "Let's just get out of here now."

She couldn't have agreed anymore. They walked over to the fence. Percy vaulted himself over it and started walking, probably assuming that Annabeth would follow right next to him.

She tried to get over it. She really did. It just didn't work.

First she tried to put her booted foot over it. The boot weighed so much that she couldn't even lift it up. So she switched to the other foot and ended up with one leg on each side of the fence. The one side with the boot was so heavy that she wobbled and fell back down next to the graves.

She spit a clump of dirt out of her mouth and felt something move in her hair. It was sort of light and she picked it out. It was an old bone. She yelped and threw it away from her. She looked up at Percy, who had just turned around to see her on the ground. "Oh, I forgot, I'm sorry…"

He ran back over and hopped over the fence without any trouble. She rolled her eyes at him. "Glad you noticed."

Percy helped her to her feet and over the fence. He even had to pick her up and put her over it. She felt so useless, and when she told Percy that, he laughed. "You're not useless, Annabeth."

Annabeth looked back at the graves for just a second. Percy looked ahead as they continued walking.

And that's when it happened. Annabeth was looking at each one, and back at the house, and then something happened.

It was impossible, but she could've sworn she saw something in the graveyard _move_.

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**Crappy way to end the chapter… I know. I posted TWO new stories. A piece of PJO poetry called Blood Lust, which is very short (Only 620 words, so please R&R) and a Hunger Games one-shot called Slow Dancing in a Burning Room. Please read and review, if possible. I love feedback. Oh, and The Asylum chapter 5 on my other account w/ ChildOfWisdom (CodeName-Athena) is posted!**

**Well, I saw Beautiful Creatures. I LOVED everything about it, except for the fact that it was NOTHING like the book! Ugh, it gets me mad when books and movies are so different, but the movie itself was good. **

**Reviews and some ideas are loved! Have a lovely day!**

**-BBH**


	28. Chapter 28: Jason

**Sorry for the late update… again. But I had a dance competition yesterday. (I had to quit Science Olympiad AGAIN for it… just like last year) We got High Gold and First Place in our division! **

**Sorry for typos/OOCness! This is pretty fast-paced, so no comments about it. I needed them to get out of this situation so I could actually get the story moving along. **

**Happy Reading!**

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Chapter 28

Jason

Jason sure hadn't seen that one coming.

He and his friends were near the trees, hiding behind the foliage and grabbing onto the trunks for dear life. Jason had lived in California his entire life and was completely used to earthquakes. But this was a whole different type of magnitude than the small ones he had been through, and it sort of scared him more than Triton.

One of his hands was around Piper's shoulders. They hadn't had time to run back inside, and Jason was pretty sure it wouldn't have been that safe. With this type of earthquake the house could've easily collapsed on them.

They were crouched on the ground. Jason had one hand over his head in case anything from the trees decided to fall on top of him. All at once, however, the shaking just stopped. There was a creepy silence filled with shock, and Jason was the first to stand up out of the trees.

He was completely flabbergasted. No lie. There was an actually crack between the sand, showing that the ground had indeed been ripped apart. He could see Triton's hands gripping the edges for dear life, even though he was a god.

At the edge of the chasm was Nico. His binds were gone, and there was this look of horror on his face. Nico glanced over and jumped back when he saw Jason, almost into the abyss.

"I swear, I didn't mean to do it," Nico said quietly as Jason approached, but he sounded unsure of himself. Jason didn't have any idea what he was talking about, but he intended to take advantage of the situation.

He reached down and hauled Triton up. He stuck and arm around his neck and put him in a head lock. Of course, it was a stupid move, since Triton was a god and Jason definitely was not. But Triton was shaken up and probably just as frightened as they were. He didn't even fight back except for a few meek kicks and curses.

The tide did react to the situation, as they rolled up to his ankles and tugged him down into the ocean.

"Now, tell us what we need to know before I throw you down there myself," Jason thundered, and just for extra effect, he sent sparks down his fingers and electrocuted the god a little. He jolted and shuddered.

"If you're trying to get back to Greece, then good luck," he laughed, his voice hoarse. Jason squeezed his neck a little bit, and he choked. "The gates are tricky, you know. Even I don't know everything about them. Maybe you should just go jump inside of a volcano. Ha… a leap of faith."

He was not amused. Triton tried to cough out a laugh. "I think that's a good idea actually. Jump into a volcano." He jerked his head towards the trees, across the island. He winked. "Maybe it'll do something."

Jason growled at him, but Triton disappeared. Like, completely. There wasn't even a trace of him left. Jason's arm was around nothing.

"Great," he hissed with anger. He turned around to where everyone had finally left the sanctuary of the trees. "That's fantastic. He was lying to us the entire time. We should've known that. He just left after he lost and didn't even tell us where to go."

"What did he say before he poofed?" asked Leo.

"He said to go jump in a volcano and take a leap of faith. Then he laughed and disappeared."

Piper seemed to consider it for a minute. "Maybe he was telling us the truth," she suggested, eyeballing the destruction in the ground.

"What do you mean by that?" asked Frank.

"Well, to find the first Gate of No Return, we fell down into those catacombs or whatever by accident and had to find our way all by ourselves. What if to find these doors, we have to jump into volcano?" She looked unsure.

Everyone stared at her. Jason thought she was crazy. But then Leo said, "Maybe you are right. I'll jump into the volcano if it would make you guys feel any better. I don't think it would hurt me that much." He ran a hand through his mess of hair and shrugged his shoulders. "I mean, I don't see why it wouldn't work."

Hazel sighed and grabbed Leo's and Piper's shoulders. Shaking them a little, she said what they were all thinking. Or, what Jason was thinking. "Okay, let me knock some sense into you guys. Volcanoes. Kill. People. End of story. It was probably just a threat that Triton was making."

Piper ignored her and turned to Leo. "Well, if you guys aren't going to help us, then Leo and I will just o do it ourselves." Piper pointed to where Triton had gestured before.

"Absolutely not," Jason cut in. "You guys are crazy. I bet this is exactly what he was trying to get us to do. Tell us to make a leap of faith, which to him his just jumping into a volcano and killing yourself."

"I don't see you coming up with any better ideas," Leo pointed out.

"Um, how about NOT jumping into a volcano and living a little longer."

Piper turned to Frank, who hadn't said a word the entire time. "Well, what do you say?" asked Piper, but Frank didn't answer. He shook his head vigorously, and Leo rolled his eyes. "Don't ask Frank," Leo said. "If it has anything to do with fire or burning, he is totally out of it."

Piper sighed and turned to Nico. "And what do you say?"

Nico was staring at his feet. He was mumbling something. "What?" Piper asked. "I didn't catch that."

"I said it is all my fault," Nico answered. Jason was getting ready to ask him what, but he cut him off with a wave of his hand. "All of this, it is all my doing, and I have no idea how I did it." He gestured to the crack in the ground, the down trees.

"Nico, it's not," Hazel told him softly.

"You don't understand, you guys," Nico mumbled. "I did that! That right there, that giant earthquake! That was all me because I let my anger get the best of me, like I always do…"

Jason slowly began to realize what he was saying. It made sense. He had already seen Nico do that in Piper's house. He had let his fear and anger help him cause a giant earthquake to stop Triton and save them. Jason was grateful and a little freaked out at the same time.

"But to Piper's question, why not try? We've got nothing better, and we can let Leo go first to see if it safe."

"Well, there you go," Piper said. "Half yes, half no. Let's just all go and if we decide against it, no harm done. We can just go to the airport and try to find plane tickets somewhere or search the rest of the island for the gate. No, we are wasting precious time, so I'm going to the house of get ready. Follow me if you're in on it or not."

Piper turned away from Jason, her mind clearly set. Jason watched her, Leo, and Nico walk away, and then Hazel follow them. "Whoa, Hazel," Jason said. "What are you doing?"

Hazel stopped and looked at him. "Let's just give it a try. I don't agree, but whatever." She followed them, and so did Frank, even though he looked terrified and was shaking. Jason was finally alone, and because of that, he had no choice but to follow them.

Jason couldn't bring himself to look down the beach to where all of the people had been. He adverted his eyes when he got close. He heard someone scream and he ripped open his eyes. The people there we startled. The volleyball nets had fallen down. He saw some limp bodies, suggesting that people had fainted. There was nothing he could do about it though.

He just walked up the old boards to Piper's house. He passed her pool and envied her for a second.

Once inside, he saw everyone else running around, collecting things. Piper walked by and smiled when she saw him. "Did you finally come to your senses and decide to join us?"

"I felt stupid standing there alone," Jason admitted. Piper pushed a bag into his arms, telling him that he'd need this.

Jason roamed the house a little bit. It was huge and still confused him. But he pulled cans out of the cupboard and bottles of water. He got some matches and even a box of cards.

He still thought it was a stupid idea. Were there even any volcanoes on Kauai? He was pretty sure that there weren't, but he didn't say anything because he had never been to Hawaii before and didn't want to sound too naïve.

Once they were all ready, Piper joined them while stuffing a roll of hundreds into her own backpack. They all gawked at her, and she replied, "Well, you never know what you're gonna need some extra cash."

"That is true," came a voice from behind them. Jason already had his sword drawn, because he knew the voice.

Triton was standing there, studying his nails. "Drop the sword," he said casually. He wasn't mad at all. He looked bored again. "I'm just here to keep my promise," he assured them. His black hair was messed up and he was soaked in water.

"And why would we believe you?" Jason shot at him, already advancing.

"Well, first of all, if you want to get somewhere other than here, you will have to jump into a volcano. I wasn't lying about that one, but no doubt you still won't believe me. I guess my anger gets the best of me sometimes, like young Nico here. Second, even though Kauai is volcanic, it doesn't mean there are any volcanoes. You'll have to go to Kilauea, which is on the Big Island. That is quite a ways away from here."

"Great, so we're screwed," Jason concluded, and clapped his hands together. "Thanks for telling us."

"You're welcome. I'm a man of my word. You beat me, so I will help you like I said. That doesn't mean I'm joining your side, but… maybe I pity you guys a little. You're all so confused. I can't take you across the country, but perhaps I can take you guys across the state."

"What do you mean by that?" Frank asked cautiously.

Triton smiled, and he looked so much like Percy that it wasn't even cool. He snapped his fingers, and the world turned upside down for Jason and totally black. He got a strange sense of déjà vu from months ago when Hera had done the exact same thing to them.

When he could see straight again, they were standing in the middle of what looked like a jungle. Everyone was groaning and Triton was gone yet again. "Gods, I hate it when they do that," moaned Leo.

Something caught his attention, and he smiled. There were six ATV's lined up through the thick trees. Maybe Triton had come through after all. Jason felt a little bad for doubting him, and he didn't know why, since he had tried to kill him. So Piper was right about them jumping into a volcano. He was still skeptical about it.

"Hey!" Leo was sitting on his ATV. "This is awesome. Who cares if he tried to kill us? He got us ATV's."

"Is this even legal?" asked Piper. She was pushing aside a clump of ferns. There was some type of large insect on her arm, and she flicked it off.

"Does it matter?" After the vertigo was gone and they were all ready, they zoomed across the ground and ducked under the vines. Jason could see Mouth Kilauea over them. It was huge, and plus, it was active. Jason knew that much from watching the glowing lava drips down the side of it. Everything screamed danger and do not jump into it. They really were insane for doing this.

A branch hit him in the face and he yelped, sort of like a girl. He felt something moving across his face and his picked it off and studied it in his hand. It took him a minute to see it and he then threw it across the forest and shivered.

He hated spiders almost as much as Annabeth did, but he would never ever tell someone about it.

"Are you okay?" yelled Piper. A flock of birds flew through the trees around their heads, so fast that he couldn't even tell what type of bird they were.

Not really. "Yeah, I good." She nodded and zoomed away, getting some air when she went over a giant tree trunk. Something told Jason that she had probably done this before, because she steered as if she had done it her entire life. She probably had one of them in her garage in Kauai.

When the forest finally changed into rocky ground, they got off and started to walk. "It's a shield volcano," Piper told them. "We just better hope it doesn't erupt while we're up there." She pointed to the top of it. It was a long way. "And if it does… well, Jason, you'll have to fly us all out of there, I guess."

Jason couldn't do that, and they all knew that. He took a deep breath and began to hike with them.

There was so much ash everywhere that soon it began to coat his body and he found it kind of hard to breathe. He could almost feel the heat from the inside of the volcano.

"You know, Percy once fell into a volcano," Nico said suddenly as they were halfway up, sometime later. It was progressively getting steeper. "It was a few years ago, when he was fourteen. I was holding a grudge against him at the time."

"What happened?" asked Hazel.

"He almost died and killed a lot of people. Everyone thought he had died and when he returned, they were having his funeral. But, he's okay now, if that's what you mean. It's kind of hard to burn a son of Poseidon."

They continued hiking, and then they reached the top, Jason felt like his face was going to melt off. Around them, little bits of lava were dripping down the sides of it, and magma bubbled inside on it. He gulped. "Okay, I have no desire to jump in there."

"What if Triton was lying to us?" said Frank. He looked like he was going to die on the spot. He was fumbling nervously with his pockets, like he was checking to make sure something was there. Hazel walked over to him and hugged him. She whispered something in his ear, and he calmed down a little bit. Jason wondered what they were talking about, but he decided it wasn't the time to ask.

"That's why we are sending Leo down there first," Hazel said matter-of-factly. Jason wasn't sure if Leo's fire powers exactly spread to situations like this, but Leo didn't look scared. He was obviously ready to go.

Jason flew up a little and hovered over the center of the volcano. There were no doors down there. Some of the magma, like, exploded and flew into the air. It almost hit him. He landed back next to them. "I still don't like this."

"Well, wish me luck anyway." Leo didn't even say goodbye. Jason flew up to watch him go down. Leo back up a little, then took a flying leap into volcano. Jason crossed his fingers and watched his friend descend like it was slow motion.

But then Leo disappeared. He was just gone. He hadn't landed in the lava. He had literally vanished, kind of like Triton had. Jason could only hope that it had worked.

He went back down to his friends. "Leo's gone. He just vanished, so I guess it worked."

"Then let's not keep him waiting." Piper grabbed Jason's hand and pulled him towards the mouth of the volcano.

"Whoa, Piper!"

But she pulled them both over the side, and Jason felt the rushing heat and steam all around him. It was so hot that he couldn't breathe, and Piper's hand was still in his own, and he wondered if this was how it felt when Percy and Annabeth had fallen to Tartarus.

The magma was ever approaching, but then it was gone, and so was he.

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**For some reason, this chapter reminded me of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. You know, with the 'Leap of Faith' and everything… Review challenge: Should Calypso return in the story or not? If so, should she meet the six above ground, or the two in Tartarus?**

**Reviews and ideas are loved! I made this longer (3000+ words) just for you guys!:)**

**-BBH**


	29. Chapter 29: Percy

**2,000 reviews… Wow… Thank you all so, so, SO much. I am crying because of how amazing you all are. I feel honored that you even bother to read my House of Hades. And if you don't like it… well, there are hundreds of others.*BigHugsandKisses* Thank you so much! Free cookies for everyone (::) (::) (::)**

**It's a short chapter because I spent all my time writing my new story****, Hell and Silence**** (please R&R) and on crazy homework. Seriously, what is it about March that makes teacher's just want to give you tons of work?**

**Sorry for typos and OOCness!**

**Happy Reading!**

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Chapter 29

Percy

Okay, so there had been a graveyard with a bunch of his dead demigod friends in it… no biggie.

Percy tried to ignore the fact that they were all behind him, lying underground forever, and the bones that littered the earth above them and the dead bodies and just the fact that he had walked through a graveyard.

He really HATED graveyards.

He had almost left Annabeth behind in the dust as he had hopped over the fence and hurried away from the house and the yard. When he had reluctantly turned around, he had found Annabeth on the ground, trying to get bones off of her.

Now, as they were hurriedly leaving the place, Annabeth stopped. "What is it?" Percy asked, turning towards her. If it had anything to do with the graveyard, he really didn't want to hear it.

"Nothing," Annabeth said. "It's just, I think something moved in the graveyard."

Nope, nope, nope. "Which is an even bigger reason why we should get the heck out here," Percy insisted, and nudged her forward, but she stopped them both as she rested her hand on Percy's shoulder. Why couldn't she just forget about it and leave?

"Shouldn't we go back and see what it is?" she asked. "I mean, what if it is something bad? What if Keto is chasing after us after all? The thing might follow us and attack when we aren't looking."

"Then… let's get a head start!" tried Percy, and tugged on her hand, pulling her forward. She rocked on her boot and moved a few paces, then stopped him. Percy turned to look at her. "What is it now? Let's just leave!"

Annabeth eyed him for a second, sizing him up like she would to a monster. "Are you scared to go back in there?" she asked incredulously. "Oh, come on Percy. You have to be braver than that!"

"Okay, Annabeth, I don't question your fear of spiders, so don't talk to me about graveyards. The only reason I was willing to walk around in there was to find the Doors of Death, but I doubt they are there, so can we leave?" he gestured to vast space away from them, where he wanted to go and fall asleep and take a break from journeying through Tartarus just for a minute.

Annabeth looked like she was trying not to laugh. "Well, you can understand why I don't like spiders, but why in the world would you not like graveyards? I mean, I don't like them, but they don't make me that freaked out. Well, except when I have bones on my clothes."

"Look at it this way Annabeth. There are dead bodies there, and that fact that it might be me one day, under there with rotting and decaying skin and bones creeping through the ground makes me nervous and anxious. It's definitely not my biggest fear, but it's enough to give me a nightmare or two."

He looked back and shivered. Even Where the Lost are Revealed was freaking him out. "This place is crazy. We've both already been possessed and confused here. I don't want to go back. If there's a monster in there, it can come out here and fight us."

Annabeth eventually nodded, and they walked away from the place. Percy didn't dare to look back until they were already over three or four hills and a mile or so away from the place.

He looked at the sky. The green tint was sort of unnerving. It was constantly nighttime and he was just getting tired. Soon, his legs felt like they were going to give out.

He observed the surrounding and upcoming area. Though where he was had nothing on it and was still a barren land, the upcoming lands had transformed into another range of mountains, like the ones that they had driven their car though however long ago.

It was far off, over twenty miles by far. It would take a long time to get there, but he could see the pine trees and rocky ridges. It was the safest place for them to camp and they needed to get going.

Percy pointed ahead. "Let's try to make it over there," he said, and he heard Annabeth groan.

They continued on. Percy started to feel his feet cramp up and his toes curl as they walked and walked. It seemed like they weren't getting any closer after thirty minutes of speed walking.

After two hours, it started to seem a little closer. Percy must've been really bad at judging distance, because they had no idea how long it would take for them to get there. Annabeth looked like she wanted to pass out, and she always had good stamina. It didn't help that they were sometimes going uphill rather than always down.

He sighed. "Do you still think you can do it?" he asked.

"Why not give it a try?" Annabeth asked. "It'll make sleep all the better."

And they did not stop. They continued on and on. Slowly, the mountains seemed to get a little closer. Percy was surprised that no monsters had actually attacked them. They were alone as far as he could tell. The hills got higher and higher and they got slower. Time dragged on. His muscles were sore, and if he was, he couldn't imagine how much Annabeth was hurting with her ribs and ankle and all. Even if they were healing or healed, it still sucked.

He stopped keeping track of time, and finally as his mind was blank, they reached the first line of trees.

Percy and Annabeth stepped over the roots and ventured in a little deep. They only went deep enough that they could barely see the opening of the forest before they collapsed to the ground, totally exhausted.

"Gods, I feel like I just ran a marathon," Percy whispered. He wasn't out of breath, but his entire body hurt.

"My legs feel like jelly," moaned Annabeth. She sat up and pressed her back against one of the tall pines. It stretched into the sky. There were so many of them that they almost blocked out all light from getting to them. They were cast into the shadows, and Percy didn't like not being able to see.

She slung off her bag and rummaged through her stuff. With a flicker, her flashlight turned on and Percy could see her face. "That's better," she said, and set the flashlight down.

Percy's stomach growled. He was hungry, again. It was hard to think about food when you were fighting for your life and trying to save the entire world. He tried to think of what his mom would tell him.

Annabeth heard his stomach. He heard her sigh and something hit his chest. He picked it up and examined it in the little light. He read the words Nature Valley before he had torn it opened and spilled the contents into his mouth. It was stale and gross, but he finished the granola bar in five seconds flat.

"Where'd you get the food from?" he asked once he had stopped inhaling the granola bar.

"Well, I might have taken a few pieces of food from the house. Not all of it was spoiled or expired, and I were hungry." She was talking around her own food. Percy wanted to ask her for some more, but if he ate more, he wouldn't be able to stop.

"You bad girl," he scolded with sarcasm and laughed a little. She laughed quietly with him. He pulled his water bottle out of his pocket and took a long gulp from it, then stuffed it back inside. He needed to save that too.

He heard velcro coming undone, and before he could asked, Annabeth answered his question. "I'm just taking the cast off. It's annoying me and super heavy. I'll sleep without it."

Another light turned on, and Percy arched a brow. "What's that?" he asked.

"My phone," Annabeth answered casually.

"WHAT?!" He jumped over to her and knocked the phone away. She made a sound of protest. "Do you want to attract every monster over to us? I don't! I want to sleep in peace!"

Somehow, Percy had the feeling she was rolling her eyes. "I was only checking the time, Percy. I'm not texting anyone. There's no signal anyway."

Percy sat up away from her, and she grabbed her phone again. "It doesn't say that day," she told him, frowning. "That's weird. It usually does. But it's three o'clock in the morning. I think it's time we took somewhat of a nap before we go on."

"Best idea yet," Percy agreed. Annabeth settled into his arms, and he pressed a kiss to her forehead. She relaxed a little bit and soon was breathing deeply as sleep overcame her. He couldn't blame her. It was the most she had walked in a while. Maybe when she woke up, her ankle would be healed and she could ditch the stupid cast.

His eyes closed soon after he shut off the flashlight, and he felt his eyes close and muscles relax. His vision behind his lids got darker.

There was a rustle in the leaves and needles around him, like something was coming towards him, but Percy was too far gone to even care.

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**Review Challenge: What is the weirdest song you have ever heard? For me, I think it may be Yo Ho by Blood on the Dance Floor. That song is so explicit and sort of gross, but I can't help but laugh when I hear it. **

**Reviews/ideas are loved Remember to check out Hell and Silence!**

**-BBH**


	30. Chapter 30: Nico

**Happy Pi Day! You know, 3.14159265 blah blah blah! :)**

**Sorry for typos/OOCness! It's short, but it does pack a punch at the end!**

**Happy Reading!**

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Chapter 30

Nico

Once Piper and Jason had jumped off into the volcano, Nico had to decide whether or not to make a run for it.

It was crazy. Jumping off a cliff into volcano was the stupidest idea he had ever heard of, and yet everyone agreed with it. He had to agree with it so that he wouldn't be singled anymore than he already was.

Nico had told all of them about Percy falling into a volcano and having everyone think he was dead. What he hadn't told him was that Percy had almost died. The force and heat of the volcano had burnt his skin and a lot of his hair off. If he hadn't landed on that witch Calypso's island… well, things would've been a lot worse.

This time, they didn't have a Calypso waiting for the lost heroes or the nearly dead ones. Even if they really had disappeared through the Gates, where to? They couldn't just pop into some random kid's birthday party! _Oh, excuse us. The Gate of No Return took us here after we jumped into Mount Kilauea. Can we have some cake?_

He wasn't sure if it was fortunate or not that Haze came up to him and rested a hand on his shoulder. "Let's get this over with," she said quietly and guided him over to Frank.

She held Frank's hand and gave him a sweet kiss on the cheek. Then she looped her arm through Nico's and gulped rather loudly. "Is it okay to be nervous?" she asked suddenly as they climbed a little higher.

Frank mumbled something and shook his head. He looked severely traumatized and Nico felt a little bad for him. He remembered what Leo had said about him not liking fire and knew that it had to be the hardest for him to go through with the plan.

"I still think we should take an airplane," Nico admitted, kicking a rock. It skidded and skipped until it went over the side and into the volcano. Nico couldn't even hear the plop. "If we leave now, we'll get to Greece in a day or two, depending on flight detours."

Frank nodded, agreeing with him. But Hazel shook her head. "No. I don't want to do this but we have to. We have to be brave and do this for our friends and family." Except for the fact that their family was dead and their friends could be.

"I guess when they say Gate of No Return, they mean it literally," Nico said.

"Please don't say that," Frank muttered. He was sweating buckets and blinking rapidly. Nico was afraid he was going to turn into a bird and fly away.

"Let's get this over with," Nico said, hating each word. But it had gone on long enough. If somehow they did die, then so be it. At least he still (hopefully) had his room in his dad's palace to live in, and maybe he could give Hazel a better home.

And they had to hurry. If they didn't go now, the Gates might close for good, and then they would be screwed.

So they counted to three together, Hazel clearly, Nico hesitantly, and Frank mumbling. Then they jumped over the side and fell down, connected into a chain. And the whole way down, Nico was praying to every god that he could think of.

The heat was the worst of it. The steam cascaded around him and they went down like they were in slow motion. He didn't scream, he didn't cry, but he tried to remain as still as he could. His eyes were glued shut because he couldn't bear to look down at what was coming at him. He could see it in his mind. The magma, churning and burning down there, waiting for him to come and swallow him whole, and kill him at first touch.

But the red and flashing behind his eyelids came to an end, and he was stuck in darkness.

For a minute, he thought he was dead, but then he felt Hazel still touching him reassuringly. His head was spinning and they were falling slowly and smoothly now, like going through water.

His back hit something suddenly and he gasped. It wasn't the pain, but it was the shock. They hadn't perished in the volcano, which meant that Triton had been telling the truth. They were somewhere else, but Nico was so far gone that he couldn't tell.

He faded in and out of consciousness, very quickly. His had the worst headache and felt like he wanted to through up. He could still feel Hazel, and he heard multiple moans, including a few that came from him. All he wanted was the vertigo to go away.

When everything started to get brighter, Nico opened his eyes and was blinded by the moon, which hung high in the sky and gave off lunar light. He blinked a few times and rolled his head. He didn't want to stand up, but that was the only thing he could do.

Once he had stretched his legs, he looked down to see Frank just lying there. His eyes were wide open and he was staring into space, not moving a muscle. For a second, Nico thought he was dead, and his entire stomach dropped. But then Frank blinked, and he knew he was okay.

Hazel was squatting and trying to stand up, but stumbling and falling back down every time. Nico bent down and snatched her by her arms and helped her stand up straight. "Thanks," she muttered and shook out her limbs.

That's when Nico saw that they were way behind everyone else. Leo, Piper, and Jason were all there, just staring at them. They looked a little rattled, and Leo had a crazy smile across his face, but they were okay too.

Nico looked up, but there was only a blank nighttime sky and twinkling stars. He remembered his vision of him running through Tartarus. The sky had been similar, but it had been green and… evil. This sky was soothing and calm, the complete opposite of how the past day had been.

"It took you all long enough," Piper grumbled humorously and rolled her eyes. "Now, we just need to find out where we are."

That was true. Nico looked around, and they were in the middle of the woods. The trees were high around them, but they left the sky clear. The trees had few leaves, and that was because they were pine and had needles.

Nico walked around a small bit, not too far away from the rest. There was no one around that he could hear, and he suspected that he would since there were so many twigs and branches on the ground. Even he was making a lot of noise, and he was trying his best not to.

"Well, I can't see anyone around," Nico said.

"Let's see if I can do anything," Jason said, and he shot into the air like a bullet. Nico watched him go up and he stayed up there for a few minutes looking around. Something bit Nico on the face, and he slapped at it. When he saw the blood and black remnants, he guessed it was a mosquito.

It wasn't terribly hot where he was, not like Hawaii. A soft breeze blew through his hair and tattered clothes. He still hadn't changed into the few clothes that he had in his backpack. The breeze was cool and the air was warm. The ground was actually a little muddy in a few places, suggesting that it had rained recently. Or that an animal had used the facilities.

Jason landed back down with a thump. "I think we're in the northern US, like Wyoming or around there… more specifically, in Yellowstone. I can see waterfalls and those small mountains, and judging by the trees, I thinks it's our best guess. I know we aren't in the Appalachian. "

"How do you know we aren't in some other country?" asked Nico. "For all we know, we could be back in Europe, of somewhere in Asia, or South America, or Australia. Maybe even Africa… but probably not Antarctica, judging by the weather." No one responded to him, and he knew that they were thinking about that.

"So we're in the land of bears and wolves," Leo said, ignoring Nico's guesses. "And what happens if they try to attack and eat us for supper?"

"We have Frank," Hazel said, nudging her boyfriend with her foot. He was still lying on the ground, and now, his mouth was moving rapidly.

"What was that?" Hazel asked.

"I can't believe we're alive," Frank said, speaking up. He stood the ground with a joyful look on his face. "We actually didn't burn to death!" He sounded gleeful and not like he usually did. It was a nice change.

"So, do we sleep?" Piper wondered.

"I guess. I'd rather not move now," Jason told her, and he sat on the ground. Nico did too. None of them were hungry, and before long, half of them had fallen asleep, completely exhausted.

Nico's body wanted to rest immensely, and he found himself lying with his back on the ground and his head on his backpack, using it as a pillow. But his mind refused to let him fall asleep in fear of what he would start dreaming about.

He couldn't help but think about the destruction in Kauai that he had caused. All of those people he had seen… some of them could have been seriously injured. He had just let his anger get away from him, and it had caused so much damage. He felt like he was a terrible person.

He didn't want to fall asleep and dream about that, but the main thing that he didn't want to dream about was Tartarus. Of course, that was cowardly and foolish of him since they did need to information, but it scared him to know what he had been through.

He remembered being pulled down into the dark, and that was when the vision had ended. He wondered what had happened after that. He hadn't died, clearly, but he knew that whatever had happened, it had been important. That made it all the worse that he didn't want to know about it.

Nico closed his eyes and willed himself to go to sleep, but he could not.

Something snapped, and Nico was on his feet with a knife in his hand before he could even blink. For a minute he thought he was only being paranoid, but he heard the cracking sound again, and he knew that they were not alone.

He realized that everyone else was asleep and oblivious to the sounds and the person that was sneaking up on them. Nico had no idea who it could be, but he doubted it was someone nice. And what if it was an animal? Would Frank really go all commando and kill it for them? Nico didn't know.

So he crept forward and before he could chicken out, he called out, "Who's there?" His voice wasn't too shaky and he sounded sort of intimidating.

"Nico?" the person asked. It was a girl and he had heard the voice before. The person stepped out into the clearing. He couldn't make out the face since he was still trying to blink back the black spots in front of his eyes.

Soon, he could start to see the girl's whole profile. She was wearing a black tank top and silvery cargo pants, with a bow and quiver across her back, but that was all he could make out before she was giving him a hug. It was like a sister hugging a brother, something he hadn't felt in a while. And before she pulled away so that he could look at her face, he already knew who she was.

"Hey, Thalia."

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**Yippee... So, I've posted a new story, a oneshot called Sixty Seconds, so please R&R. And remember to check out Hell and Silence.**

**Reviews and Ideas are loved! I'm just watching Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince... Reveiw Challenge: What's your favorite movie? Mine is a tie between Beasts of the Southern Wild and Super 8!**

**-BBH**


	31. Chapter 31: Annabeth

**This chapter is a result of #I'dRatherNotDoHomework **

**Sorry for typos/OOCness! Hope you enjoy!**

**Happy Reading!**

* * *

Chapter 31

Annabeth

Annabeth dreamt of Nico di Angelo.

But not just him. She had crazy nightmares where she was standing in a completely black room, and the words of the prophecy were streaming around her body in white. She knew that the final line had to be about Nico, and that was what worried her.

The fatal prophecy was etched into her mind:

"_The House of Hades Holds the Key  
To Destroying the World and Restoring Peace.  
At the End of Battle's Foretold Strike  
The Two Enemies will Fight to Unite.  
The Giant Stalks the Six Waiting for War  
The Earth Mother Haunts at the Doors."_

The first part wasn't that bad. It seemed like any other, terrible prophecy that she had heard in the past. The nerve-racking part was the second stanza that she just couldn't stand to read, but she did anyway. Curiosity killed the cat… or demigod.

"_For Though the Eight May Stay  
There Is One too Many for Giant's Decay  
Fire and Ice will Oppose the Threats  
Made By Man Who Conquers All Death  
Lost in the Wind as Whisper's Tell  
The Ghost King Will Forever Reign in Hell."_

Annabeth tried to be logical about it. First of all, it was so much longer than all of the other ones she had heard, and she had heard a lot. That made her question if all prophecies were that long and if they only heard certain parts of them. She wished she had taken another look at the Sibylline books, but that would've been stealing unneeded information.

Second, Nico couldn't forever reign in the Underworld. He spent most of his time down there, sulking around with the other wandering spirits, spying on his dad to make sure he didn't try to overthrow Olympus again. But he was always allowed to leave. The only way he wouldn't be able to was if he… died.

Nico di Angelo couldn't die. He'd faced death and gone against the odds so many times that Annabeth sometimes wondered if his father had made him immortal. But a stupid premonition didn't mean anything. They always had double meanings.

And third, it talked about a giant, and she had no idea which one it was. She'd never really studied giants before the Titan War, and had only known enough to be dangerous, not intellectual. But after Jason, Piper, and Leo had come back from their quest defeating some, she'd taken a new study to them.

Most of the ones she knew of had already been taken care of. She couldn't think of any others. She wished that she had her brothers and sisters there to help her, but they weren't.

She longed for the sun. She longed for anything but the greenish moon that cascaded it's eerie half-light down on her and Percy. And more than anything, she just wanted to escape Tartarus and see the real, human world again.

The only bright side was that her ankle and ribs were okay. She'd hated feeling so useless, and now that she could fight, she intended on doing so and keeping every single rogue spirit down in Tartarus for another hundred or so years.

The blackness started to fade away and the white words zoomed off from her view. She allowed herself to hope for only a second that she would be waking up, but of course that wasn't going to happen. That would be too normal.

Instead, it changed to actually show her Nico di Angelo in the fight of his life.

Ironically, he was in Tartarus too, and Annabeth knew that it was from before they had arrived when he had been caught down here. He was walking through some woods that looked a lot like the ones she and her boyfriend were in. In fact, they were almost identical, except for the difference in tree type. Where as they were in pine trees that stretched on for miles, Nico was walking through huge oaks that she had seen before in southern towns.

He had a sword out then, but it wasn't Stygian Iron like his old sword. It was a celestial bronze sword like the one that Percy carried. It was only about three feet long and nothing too special, but he held it as if it was the only thing protecting him from death.

He was battling some unforeseen enemy. He was shaking, his clothes were torn, and he had a large cut across his forehead. He kept blinking like he was trying to keep the blood out of his eyes. But he wasn't exactly looking at what was attacking him. He acted like he knew where it was, but he only watched out of his peripheral vision.

"What do you want?!" he screamed, waving the sword frantically. Something hissed and swooped down from the large branches below, so fast that Annabeth wasn't able to see who are what it was. It didn't fly, but it had wicked flexibility as it slashed at Nico.

He tried to jab at it but it didn't work. The monster jumped back up into the trees to wait him out. "What do you want?" he repeated, this time more calmed. He looked like he was contemplating whether or not he should climb into the trees to pursue it.

The monster spat at him and did not respond right away. This time, a branch came down and knocked him on the head. He was sent sprawling backwards, his sword tossed easily out of his hand.

"Vengeance," the monster screeched with laughter, and Annabeth knew that she had heard that voice before. But in the dream, it was just stuck on the tip of her tongue. She couldn't think of it in time. "Sweet, sweet vengeance."

"But I didn't do anything," he ruled out, scurrying to pick up his sword and jump to his feet. This time, when the branch came down to hit him in the head, and lunged out of the way and somersaulted on the ground, coming up in a man's proposal position.

"No, you didn't, but someone has to pay for my ending up here. And since your friends, Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase, are not here, then I suppose it'll just have to be you." The monster screamed in rage and tackled him in a blur.

Everything went black again so that Annabeth could no longer see Nico or the enemy. But the sounds of his battle still played on in the darkness. She heard the sounds of the monster jumping at him and trying to end him.

She could hear the sounds of Nico's sword hitting the bark of a tree and his grunts as he desperately tried to yank it out. She was pretty sure that he had success, because the next sound was that of a limb being cut off, and Nico wasn't the one gasping in pain.

Annabeth wondered if it was one of the Furies. She'd seen them a few times, and she knew that they flew, but they mostly remained in the Underworld torturing spirits in Asphodel and Punishment. But now the Furies were trying to keep all of the souls from escaping and Hades from getting hurt.

The dream changed again, and the sounds cut off like someone had just turned a switch. A single candlelight appeared in front of her, bright enough that it turned her skin the orange tint of the flame.

She could hear the echoing footsteps from where she was as they approached her. She could hear the rustle of clothing and a man's cough, clearing his throat. When he spoke, he sounded rehearsed. "Hello, Annabeth Chase. I've been wondering when I would meet you."

At first she didn't say anything. She wondered how the man knew her name. Then, she said, "And why is that?"

The man got close enough that the candlelight flickered. She could then see his whole profile. He was wearing a suit with perfect creases in it and stood fifteen feet tall, at least. His tie was a horrid clash of turquoise and banana yellow. His eyes were brown like dirt and his hair was black and messed up like it had been caught in the wind.

He looked like a business man, ready to help her pay her mortgages or get a loan. If there was one thing she had learned from her father, it was that you should never trust a business man, because they only cared about themselves and money.

The man shrugged as his answer, and so Annabeth asked, "Who are you supposed to be?"

"Oh how rude of myself. My name is Tityos, and I am a giant, and I am a son of Gaea. That should clear up those questions that were sure to come."

Most people didn't give out information that quickly unless they knew that they had nothing to fear. That made Annabeth gulp. And he had just said that he was a giant, which meant that he could be and probably was the one from the prophecy.

Annabeth racked her mind real quick for any information she knew about Tityos. He had tried to kill and rape Leto and was murdered by Apollo and Artemis. As punishment, he was stretched out like Prometheus and tortured by two vultures that ate his innards.

He was probably expecting a crazy reaction or her to draw a weapon, but she kept her composure calm and sophisticated like him. It was hard since she was wearing her tattered clothes and messed up hair in the dream, but she tried. "Nice to know. Do you like to just give information up freely, because I don't think Gaea would like it if she knew?"

Tityos dismissed the question with a wave of his hand. "Oh bother. Now, Annabeth, I have a proposition for you. Your dear friend Nico didn't seem like he wanted to take it, but I think you're smart enough to know what's the best decision."

When he said Nico, her gut twisted as the vision of Nico fighting off the monster came into her mind. She forced the sick feeling in her stomach down and nodded. "Okay, go on."

"As you know by now, and have probably memorized without meaning to, there is a prophecy surrounding you and your friends, and more importantly, Nico di Angelo. He has a key role in all of this, as he is the one who is predicted to die."

Her eye twitched, and she hoped that he hadn't noticed. "Prophecies always have double meanings," she said through gritted teeth.

"There is only one Ghost King, Ms. Chase, and it is Nico. What I am offering you is a way to save your friends. The odds are against them, and if you join our cause, then I can promise you that you all will be spared."

A shivered crept down her back. "What do you mean 'join your cause'?"

"I mean that you would become a spy for us. You could remain with your boyfriend, Mr. Jackson, and be reunited with your friends and family. Camp Half-Blood would even be spared. It's a generous offer, and Nico decided against it like an utter fool. But I do not take you or Athena for a fool."

She was dumbfounded. "You must really think I am a fool though for even considering something as idiotic as that." She thought of her dear friend, Silena Beauregard, who had been a spy for the Titans. It hadn't ended well for her. "I would never betray my friends to give you information."

She expected him to get mad, but he laughed instead. "You are just as ignorant and wrong as Nico was."

"What's that supposed mean?" she shot at him defensively.

"It means that you do not realize that your friends are going to kill themselves off before our army even sets foot on their land. The Greeks and Romans are fighting at this moment, and was stupid of Hera to even think that they would get along for a second."

He turned around and began to walk away from her. "You saw the vision of Nico in Tartarus. If he hadn't been taken by the Giants, he would've died for sure. This only further stresses that you and Percy Jackson have no chance of staying alive."

He was farther and farther away. She couldn't even see him anymore. "I guess we will remain enemies. I will not have much to do with you. My job has been to watch you six friends above ground, but I will remind you that Earth Mother Gaea is watching you every move. Every breath you take, she knows you've taken. She watches all the time, and you are never alone."

His voice faded away, and the candle flickered out.

Annabeth woke up to a voice hissing in her face, and it was the same one that had tried to end Nico's life in her dreams.

"One sound and you _die._"

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**Thanks for reading! Review Challenge: What song are you listening to as you read this? If you aren't, then what was the last song you listened to? For me, it is the AMAZING song, Sail by AWOLNATION! For some reason, I think is the perfect song for the Seven of the Prophecy. "This is how an angel dies, I blame it on my own sick pride. Blame it on my ADD baby. SAIL!"**

**Reviews and ideas are loved! Remember to read and review Hell and Silence and my new chapter of Love Is A Four Letter Word, D is for Dams!**

**-BBH**


	32. Chapter 32: Jason

**Well, my life sucks because I just finished the final Infernal Devices book, the Clockwork Princess, and it was amazing, but it was the end… But on the bright side, the Host movie comes out of Friday. If you have not read the Host by Stephenie Meyer, then I highly recommend that you do. It is amazing. Even if you hated Twilight, I guarantee this is 1,000 times better, and really well-written. **

**Sorry for typos and OOCness. I hope Thalia isn't too OOC…**

**Happy Reading!**

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Chapter 32

Jason

It was nice to see Thalia again.

They were all awake now, sitting in a circle around a fire that Thalia had started. They'd had a happy reunion, which was the happiest thing that had happened to Jason since his small birthday party with Piper. And he hadn't seen his sister in a few months, since the hunters had last visited camp. He had not realized how much he had missed his sister.

They introduced Frank and Hazel to Thalia, and Hazel made a remark on how much she reminded her of the Amazons. Leo had gone up to her and tried to say something, but she brushed him off like she usually did. Jason wondered when Leo was going to realize that his sister didn't like guys.

Once they had been settled, Thalia asked the question that they all had known was coming. "So, where are Percy and Annabeth?" After she looked around at their faces, though, her expression fell. "Oh no… what happened?"

They all looked around, not wanting to be the one to tell her what had happened. Finally Nico spoke up bravely. "They're gone, Thalia, and we're trying to get them back."

"Gone?" Thalia demanded, her blue eyes looking like little hurricanes in the firelight. Sparks lit up her hair. "What do you mean, gone? They can't just be gone. Where are they? What happened?"

Nico and Jason both explained to her together what had happened on their quest, with the others jumping in occasionally to put in facts. They talked to her about the Roman Camp and how they sailed across the US and into the Mediterranean. They all told their separate parts of the story. Nico spoke of his time being held by the giants, Jason and Piper spoke of traveling with Percy and fighting off the giants, and Leo, Hazel, and Frank talked about finding the Archimedes Sphere.

Thalia kept her eyes glued to the fire the entire time. When they were done she said, "And what about Annabeth? What had happened to her?"

"Well, honestly Thals, none of us really know," Jason admitted sheepishly. "She explained some of his to us, but it had been fast and she had been in so much pain-"

Thalia sat straight up and glared at Jason. "What do you mean that she was in pain?"

Jason silently cursed himself, and they all tried to explain to her what had happened to Annabeth. She had gone to find the Athena Parthenos and had had a run in with Arachne. Thalia swore when she heard that. "But she's terrified of spiders!" Thalia exclaimed. "Whose smart idea was it to let her do that?" And Jason could've laughed when her eyes landed on Leo accusingly.

"No!" Leo protested. "It wasn't me!"

They hastily explained the rest of what they knew. They told her how she had broken her ankle but still managed to outsmart the mother of spiders. And then they explained how Percy and Annabeth had fallen into Tartarus, and how they weren't able to save them.

Thalia had a bow in her hand now, and she snapped it in half, and something told Jason that those arrows weren't made of regular wood. Then they explained how they had been sailing to Greece, and then how they had been caught in a Gate of No Return. They also talked about Triton in Kauai and their battle, and then the Gate in the volcano, and how they ended up here, which Thalia had confirmed as Yellowstone.

Finally, Thalia clearly had enough, and she sagged backwards onto the ground. She looked so defeated, the exact opposite of how she always presented herself. But Jason couldn't blame her. It was how they all felt.

"I can't believe I let this happen," she mumbled, throwing her hands up in the air. Thunder rumbled in the distance. "They're my best friends… Annabeth is like my sister. How could I have let this happen?"

"It's not your fault, Thalia," Piper said soothingly, with her charmspeak. She calmed down a little bit, but she still looked terrible. Thalia sat up and took her little tiara that marked her as lieutenant off her head and studied it. Then she sighed and put it back on.

"So, why are you here anyway?" asked Frank nervously. He was probably scared that Thalia was going to shoot lightning at him or something. She was giving off that kind of vibe.

She looked at Jason as she spoke. "The rest of the hunters and I have split up. We are making our way over to Camp Jupiter to secure it and its people. We need to make sure no one else leaves that camp."

Jason, Frank, and Hazel gaped at her. "Why?"

"There's a war going on, guy," she said nonchalantly. "There's a whole army of Romans lining up at Camp Half-Blood right now. Things aren't looking so good. The fighting has already started. As you probably know, the Roman's are more formal, and the Greek's are, like more for guerilla warfare. It's like the Revolutionary War all over again. We don't want anyone else from your camp leaving though, so some of us have left to go take control of the camp for the time being."

"But… you can't do that!" exclaimed Frank. "Some of our friends are there. People have families there."

"What do you think we're going to do? Kill them all?" Thalia spat. "We're just going to keep them in line. Do you think of us as barbarians? Wait don't answer that! Of course you do! Why else would _your kind_ be fighting a war against us?"

There were sparks on her clothes now too, and her nice tone was completely gone. Frank had shrunk back, and for a good reason. Thalia's anger was clearly getting the best of her now, because she had Aegis out. At the sight of Medusa's head, Jason gulped and scrambled back. It was like fear just rolled off of the shield.

She screamed in frustration and stalked away from them, kicking twigs and hitting the branches with her shield.

Leo gulped. "Well…"

"I'll go calm her down," Jason said, since no one else was volunteering. Not even Piper wanted to get up. Jason followed the noise through the endless trees and over the giant roots. She hadn't gone far, perhaps a hundred yards. She had her back against a trunk and glared at him when he came up to her.

"I happen to be one of those cursed Roman's you just talked crap about," Jason said as he approached her. For some reason, he felt stupid having left his weapons back with the others. But that was silly; she wouldn't attack him… right?

"I know Jason, and I'm okay with that." She banged her head against the trunk. She had bags under her eyes, like she hadn't slept in days. "It's just… the Romans have gone to destroy our camp, and then I learn that Percy and Annabeth are fighting for their lives and could be dead in Tartarus. It's hard to swallow that. And with the prophecy…" she trailed off.

"What prophecy?" Jason demanded, his stomach dropping. "We haven't heard anything about a prophecy yet!"

Thalia stared at him for a few long seconds. Her flash of anger had faded away, and now she looked regretful and sorrowful, like it meant something terrible. Jason didn't like that at all. "Let's go back to the others. I'll explain then… I thought you all had heard about it."

They walked back to the others. They all scooted back a few inches when they saw Thalia, but she shrugged it off like it was no big deal. "So," she started sadly. "The prophecy. You all haven't heard it yet."

Everyone shook their head, except for Nico, who looked down at his feet and said nothing. "Have you heard it Nico?" Thalia asked, and if her voice could've got any sadder, it did.

He nodded, and looked dark and depressed. "I've heard of it, and some of what it predicted."

Jason wanted to inquire him, but he let Thalia go on. "Yes well… Rachel…" Frank and Hazel looked confused, so Thalia added, "Our oracle, said it a few days ago, while we had been there. It was at a camp meeting, and… the prophecy was long. They're usually short, but this was abnormally long, and even Chiron could not guess why."

She brought out a piece of paper that was crumbled from being in the pocket of her silvery cargo pants. She coughed a little bit like something was stuck in her throat and began to read:

_The House of Hades Holds the Key  
To Destroying the World and Restoring Peace.  
At the End of Battle's Foretold Strike  
The Two Enemies will Fight to Unite.  
The Giant Stalks the Six Waiting for War  
The Earth Mother Haunts at the Doors._

Thalia stopped there for a second, searching the eyes of the others. Jason didn't think it was that bad. "Okay," he started. "The House of Hades… we gotta find it. It has the key to ending or saving the world. We know that."

"And it said that the two enemies would fight to unite!" Leo added. "Maybe it's talking about the Greeks and Romans. Maybe we'll just fight a little bit and then become friends?"

"If you could see the fighting that's happening right now, I think you may think otherwise," Thalia said darkly. "It's not over though… There's another freaking stanza." She glanced at Nico, who was still staring at his feet. She looked heartbroken as she continued to read the fateful last lines.

_For Though the Eight May Stay  
There Is One too Many for Giant's Decay  
Fire and Ice will Oppose the Threats  
Made By Man Who Conquers All Death  
Lost in the Wind as Whisper's Tell  
The Ghost King Will Forever Reign in Hell._

By the end of the prophecy, everyone was looking at Nico with wide eyes. Hazel and her hands over her mouth in shock, and Jason was sure he could see a tear in her eye. The last few lines… they had been about Nico, and his death.

Jason may have not liked Nico, but he didn't want the guy to die. Already he had almost been sacrificed to Gaea's army by Triton, and now there was a prophecy predicted the death of the 'Ghost King'. He wasn't sure what to do. He didn't think Nico wanted a hug.

Even to further prove his point, Nico said, "I don't want anyone's sympathy. Just letting that out there. I've known about that part of the prophecy for about a day, since I was knocked out by Triton. But they always have double meanings. Maybe it's something else." But he sounded doubtful.

But still, Hazel got up and gave him a hug. Nico dodged away from her. "I've have my own news for everyone. When I was out in Kauai, I started to remember a few things from my time in Tartarus."

When no one said anything, he continued. "I remember being chased, and then going into this giant house. It was huge and mismatched, like a little kid had assembled it. The sky there was green. And inside the place was a hoarder's wonderland. It had everything. But when I tried to leave, there was this force pulling be backwards, and it pulled me down these flights of stairs and into darkness. I thought i was going to die, and then I woke up."

Jason didn't know what to say. He didn't know if Nico wanted condolences, or just acknowledgment. He opened his mouth to try and say something, but Nico held up his hand. "No, I don't want to hear what you have to say. I have other news."

"And that is?" Thalia croaked.

"Well… the giant in the prophecy that stalks us. His name is Tityos, and he talked to me." Everyone sat up. They had all defeated, leaning back in anguish and depression. "He offered me a way to live from the prophecy, as becoming a spy. I turned him down, of course, but he told me that Percy and Annabeth were fated to die, and he told me about the battle of the camps."

"We need to contact Percy and Annabeth," Thalia said.

"Iris Messages have stopped working," Piper said glumly.

"Then we need to get a move on." Thalia looked at all of them challenging her. "The Hunters can do without me. Sleep now, because we're getting up early tomorrow, and we're getting you guys back to Greece."

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**Review challenge: What's the last movie you watched? Mine is Argo, which is great if you haven't seen it! Our county is doing Battle of the Characters, and Percy Jackson is in the final four. But my county also just started the essay contest for writing the differences between a book and movie. So, obviously, I am doing the Lightning Thief.**

**Reviews/Ideas are loved! I have two new oneshots: For the First Time and Princess of China. Please check out!**

**-BBH**


	33. Chapter 33: Percy

*****This is the FINAL chapter*******. I'm sorry, but I'm ending the story short. So much stuff has happened in my life, and I don't think that I can go through with this anymore. A lot has happened to me in the last week, and I'll have to be ending it... Thanks for always being here for me though. I love you all.**

**But, I do have good news about the real House of Hades. The Son of Sobek will be released as an ebook in June, and the ebook will include the first chapter of the House of Hades. The cover of HoH will be released on… I think May 31****st****. And the book comes out on October… 12****th****? Sometime around then.**

**Sorry for Typos/OOCness.**

**Happy Reading, and I'll miss you guys…**

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Chapter 33

Percy

When he awoke, Annabeth was screaming bloody murder.

Immediately, he tried to jump to his feet, but he felt something coarse around his neck, legs, and wrists. When he tried to move, he found that there was no way for him to do so. He was even standing upright, but his back was against a tree.

He blinked and looked around, trying to make his eyes adjust to the darkness. Was it still nighttime?

Then he remember that there was no daylight in Tartarus, and when he looked up through the trees and past the clouds, he could still see the same, old green sky, and the creepy green moon glowering down at them.

"Annabeth!" he yelled, turning his head this way and that to try and find her, but the rope around his neck restricted him a lot. He choked and gagged, then put his head back in its original place. "Where are you!?"

He heard her ragged breathing, and then she screamed again. Annabeth rarely screamed in battle, and when she did, it was because something really bad was happening. He had to get out of his binds and help her. Even if her wounds and broken bones were almost healed, they weren't entirely, and she had yet to be in a big battle since the injuries had happened.

Cold fear dripped down Percy's back as he remembered what Annabeth had said before they had gone to sleep. _I'm just taking the cast off. It's annoying me and super heavy. I'll sleep without it._ And after that she had even turned her phone on. Even if she hadn't made a call… had it been a signal?

How was she supposed to defend the both of them if she didn't even have her cast on to support her?

The monster, or whatever had attacked them, screeched and cursed in a language he didn't know. Leaves rustled above him, like the monster was getting ready to jump out at them, and in the last moments, Annabeth shrieked, "DON'T LOOK!"

Percy closed his eyes.

In the next second, a hand wrapped around his throat and squeezed. A wet, putrid stench rolled off of the creature and toward him, and he wanted to throw up. The thing laughed at him, and it was a woman.

"Son of Poseidon," she hissed menacingly. The voice was all too familiar, but Percy's head was still swimming with nausea and sleep. "I told her one sound and she would die, but apparently she doesn't like to listen."

Annabeth never liked to listen, and she did not follow orders. She mostly screwed them off and went with her own plan, which usually worked.

He heard Annabeth make a battle cry and then the monster wasn't even on him. She made an 'oof' sound as Annabeth landed on top of her and tried to kill her. How would that work out? They were in Tartarus already.

Her knife made a slashing sound as it hit the monsters flesh, and the monster yelled in protest. Annabeth grunted and Percy heard her back hit the ground somewhere, the hard dirt crunching underneath her.

"Whatever you do, Percy, do not look!" she told him again. She was struggling to catch her breath, and he listened as she scrambled to her feet. She didn't sound hurt, but he could just imagine what her ankle must've felt like. "Use Riptide!" she instructed him, and then he could hear her fighting.

Sometimes he was an idiot. Of course he could have just gotten his trusty pen out of his pocket and cut himself out of his binds. But he, of course, hadn't thought of that, and she had.

Percy struggled to wiggle his body and his tied arms together, like they did in James Bond movies or whatever. It hurt more than they let on, because he definitely wasn't that flexible. He screamed at himself inside, and his breath soon came out in terrible gasps like he was the one fighting off the monster.

Annabeth screamed again, but it seemed to him like the sound lodged in her throat. He could hear the attempts of struggle against the monster. Why couldn't they look at the monster? It wasn't like the monster was…

It was Medusa.

Godly freaking crap. Medusa. One of the worst monsters he had ever battled. Medusa went right up there with the Minotaur and Kronos. Whenever he heard the name Medusa, it always meant bad news no matter what the situation was. Like, if there had been a code Medusa in the military, he was pretty sure it didn't mean that it was time to go get ice cream.

And he had already battled off Medusa crazy, flying sisters Stheno and Euryale, just a few weeks ago in California. They had been taken back to Tartarus finally, after he had killed them over and over again. So if they were in Tartarus, were they with Medusa?

"Medusa, leave us alone!" Percy ordered her, but his voice was shaking. Yeah, pretty scary. He was sure all of the little insects in the forest were terrified of him now.

Medusa laughed. "So you recognize me now, Son of Poseidon? I was wondering how long it would take someone as dimwitted as you to figure it out." Ouch, that hurt, but he had been told worse things.

His main goal now was to distract her long enough for Annabeth to regroup. "Sorry that I'm stupid. I'm told so a lot. Now, why do you want us? We've killed you before and we'll do it again!"

She laughed and Percy could hear the snakes on her head hissing with mirth. "By the looks of, I say that you won't. After all, you're momentarily tied up." Percy could just see the imaginary drum set and cymbal going off with the sad attempt at a joke. He rolled his eyes under his lids.

"Are you done with your failed attempts at humor, because I really need to use the bathroom?" he said with a whining voice that used to annoy his mom so much when he had been a kid. He heard Medusa grimace and he did a small inward victory dance.

"You fool." He heard rushing footsteps up to him, and his cheek was slashed open. He gasped in pain as he felt the blood drip out and run down his neck. It stung like crazy, and he hoped that she wasn't poisonous. He cursed a little bit but kept his eyes shut.

"It's all about revenge," she spat at him. "You sent me down here, when I was living a happy, peaceful life in America. I had friends and beautiful statues that I had collected for years, but you ended all of that. You sent me back down here for all eternity, and for that, you must be punished alongside me!"

"Um, you killed Grover's uncle," Percy protested. "Doesn't that count as killing his family?"

Medusa screeched in anger again, and Percy ducked down just in time to avoid getting hit by what sounded like a tree branch. Bark broke off and showered his head, and he needed Riptide pronto.

"How're you even talking?" Percy inquired, completely out of breath. "Last I checked, you head is up in the Big House at our camp."

"Yes, it is, as a spoil of war. But fortunately, heads can grow back sometimes, especially when you have the help of certain powerful allies."

"You're working with Gaea?"

"I am. And she asked me to bring you back to her alive. Beautiful sacrifices to wake the goddess… But I'm afraid that won't do. You see, my number one priority since I've been here is to kill you and your girlfriend. When Nico appeared, I thought I'd just kill him. But alas, he got away and cut off my arm in the process. But now that you're here, I'm afraid death will have to be the answer. And it will not be quick."

Great. Medusa wanted to torture him to death. What was new?

"Stay AWAY from my boyfriend," a voice threatened. And then, Medusa yelled out in pain, and Percy knew that Annabeth had recovered enough to go after her.

Once again, he struggled to reach his pockets, and after a few moments of pain, he slid his hand into his jeans and grabbed Riptide. He was so happy that the pain went away for a second, and then it started to sear again.

He moved back to his original position and uncapped his pen. He grabbed the hilt as it elongated into his trusty sword. Percy suddenly wished that he had Annabeth's knife, because it would've made the job easier, but his sword would have to do.

He grabbed his sword near the end and felt the blade slice his palm, but it didn't matter. He began to saw at rope binds, which was harder than it had seemed in his head. But they did fall apart after about a minute or two, and joy overcame him.

There wasn't enough time for him to treat the cuts that were on his hands and wrists. He used the tip of the blade to cut open the bind around his neck, and thankfully didn't slice that open too. After that was done, he bent down and hacked at the binds around his legs.

Then he was free, but free to do what? It was like being a picture book when you're blind. It didn't really mean anything.

The problem struck him. He couldn't look at Medusa without turning to stone, so how was he supposed to find her. Why couldn't he be a bat? That would've solved his problem. He sighed. Nothing was ever easy.

He glanced at his blade, giving off a soft glow. He could just see his reflection in it. He took a deep breath and turn his body a full 360 degrees, the sword still out in front of him as he tried to look for the snake-haired lady.

Finally, after spinning around a few times and getting dizzy, he spotted her. She was in the trees, the snakes on her hair spitting and biting at the air. Her face looked contorted and gross, like it had been smashed in repeatedly. She wore an old, crumbling dress made from rags, and her body was thinned. She looked malnourished and frail, and very, very mad.

This was what had become of the infamous Medusa. An old, sad hag.

He gulped and saw Annabeth staring at her feet, right below Medusa. She was swinging her knife up, trying to cut at her, but it wasn't working. Annabeth's aim wasn't exactly right and Medusa was too high up.

Percy started to take slow steps backwards, towards them. Neither noticed. Percy glanced at his girlfriend again and saw how she was walking and moving. It almost looked normal, but she was favoring her broken ankle slightly so that she didn't reinjure it.

And then, Medusa turned on him and jumped to the ground. She didn't run at him, but she knocked Annabeth to the ground. She approached slowly and thoughtfully, her eyes boring into his sword. They glinted with power, trying to turn him into a statue. And it seemed to work.

Annabeth was trying to get back up. She had a hand over her eyes and her head tilted in the opposite direction, but she was slowly stumbling toward them while swinging her knife. Percy adverted his attention back to the threat.

"Beautiful sacrifices to wake the goddess," Medusa mumbled, her finger nails like claws, sharpened at the end. Percy blinked and tensed up, waiting for her onslaught. It never came. She just kept walking towards him. Her snakes lunged at his neck, and soon she was so close that Percy could feel her cold breath on his neck, and yet she did not attack. He wasn't stone, but he felt frozen.

"Look what you've done to me," she said miserably. "It's your fault I am this beast. You must understand that what I'm about to do is only fair. It's justice and what you deserve." Somehow, her voice was soothing, and Percy couldn't bring his muscles to move. There was a power in her voice that matched that in her eyes, and it was stopping him from finishing her.

Her hand came up to his neck and brushed away some of his hair. "I've been damned to this part of Tartarus. The forests. It's as if I'm too ugly to be seen anywhere else. If I try to leave, I experience pain. But Gaea has promised me a new life and vengeance."

Percy's hands itched to fight. He shivered and sweated. His sword faltered in his hand.

Medusa shook her head back and forth. "I wish I could say I was sorry for what I am about to do, but I'm not."

The snakes on her head lunged for the pulse on his neck, and time slowed down for him. The power holding him broke. He dodged out of the way in slow motion, and closed his eyes as he brought his sword around to meet Medusa's neck. But his sword never met it. It just swung through the cool air and heaved his body along with it. Against his own will and on instinct, he opened his eyes.

Medusa was no longer in front of him, but Annabeth was. Her knife was slimy, and she looked shocked and in pain. Her eyes were stormy and twitching. He hadn't been able to stop her, but she had.

At the same time, they both glanced down at the ground to where the snake-haired lady was. Medusa lay on the ground, her torso cut clean off from her legs. Her eyes were closed, a few of the snakes still snapped, but they too soon died. They watched the two body parts just laid there. Annabeth backed up a little bit, and somehow, her hand found Percy's, and he gripped it tightly. She was shaking, and the body parts twitched a little.

But then they dissolved into dust and the wind blew them away, carrying the essence of Medusa to a new part of the forest.

* * *

*****And about what I said before, about ending the story… ****APRIL FREAKING FOOLS! TROLLOLOLOL****!*** There's no way I'm ending this story until I absolutely have to, and that'll be months from now. Oh, and I have a new story that I try to update every day or every other, and it is ****Dear FanFiction****!**

**Reviews/ideas are loved! Challenge: I wanna write another songfic (like Tell Me and Mine) but you guys get to decide the song:**** Anna Sun by Walk The Moon****, or ****Kill Your Heroes by AWOLNATION. ****If you haven't heard the songs, go to YouTube and listen to them both a little bit before casting your vote! **

**-BBH**


	34. Chapter 34: Nico

**First: I'm so sorry for not updating sooner. I've been so busy with life and school and whatnot that I haven't had time. And, I have Writer's Block for this story. **

**Two: You guys complained I wasn't writing. Actually, to prove you wrong… ****My new stories****: Just Go With It (PewDiePie FanFic), Kill Your Heroes (My oneshot for PJO), Summer Love (a new chaptered PJO story). ****Updated stories****: Hell and Silence (chapter 3) and Dear FanFiction (almost every day!). **

**Sorry for typos/OOCness. **

**Happy Reading!**

* * *

Chapter 34

Nico

Thalia woke them up early that morning, and Nico groaned as light came down on him. The morning sun burned his eyes, and even when he put his fingers in front of his face, the light managed to peek through.

"Come on," Thalia said, nudging him with her foot. She looked bright and stubborn, like she wasn't going to take no for an answer.

Nico finally managed to roll over and jump to his feet. He wobbled for a second, dark spots appearing in his vision, and he put his hand against a tree trunk to steady himself. His head felt unnaturally huge for his body as he tried to remain upright.

When he looked around at the others, he saw that they were having the same problems. Leo almost fell back down and Jason had to catch him. Piper's hair was a rat's nest and she wouldn't stop yawning. Frank and Hazel were using each other for support.

"Well, you guys clearing haven't slept well," Thalia said, munching on a Poptart she had stolen from Jason. Her back wasn't against and tree and she studied them all with mirth in her eyes.

"No, we were sleeping fine," groaned Frank, scratching the top of his head and yawning loudly. "We just didn't sleep enough."

Thalia waved what he said aside. "You slept for about six hours, so that should be enough." Then, she whipped a map out of her bag and put it on the ground. "Well, gather around, everyone," she called out, and her voice echoed in the woods, making it sound like there were multiple Thalia's.

"So, now, I need you guys to help clarify these Gates that you pass through. They usually happen in big landmarks, right?"

They looked around at each other, seeing who was going to speak first, and everyone focused on Nico. He narrowed his eyes but spoke up. "Mount Kilauea in Hawaii was a big landmark, but the first one we went through was underground in a bunch of caves. That's not a big landmark."

Thalia considered this for a moment and took a small bite out of the pastry. "Where did you say that the first gate was? Like, where in Greece?"

"Ioannina Island," Jason answered.

"That's a landmark," Thalia told them. "Those tunnels you were in were probably catacombs to bury the dead or something. Maybe they wanted to put them on a secluded island where no one would find the bodies. I'm not sure, but probably back when the Giants walked the earth, those catacombs had been a big deal. And maybe they were the way into the House of Hades. That makes that a landmark too."

"So the next set of Gates is in Yellowstone," Hazel guessed.

"That's what I think," Thalia agreed. "And since Yellowstone is famous for its geysers…"

She stopped there, letting them think about. They glanced around, mouths dropped open. Nico knew Thalia had to be joking, but then again, she rarely did. Jumping in a volcano and stupid, and jumping into a geyser was pretty much up there on the same level. It was pretty much a volcano, with water instead on lava.

"You must be crazy," Jason murmured. He was the only person who could say it without getting slapped by Thalia, since they were related.

"I'm not," she said. "It would make sense. And besides, you already jumped into Mount Kilauea. What's the big deal?"

"The big deal is that before, we had someone actually confirm that it was true," Nico muttered, thinking about Triton. They hadn't even trusted him, so his argument was weak and pointless. Even Thalia rolled her eyes at the comment.

"Maybe on the way to the geyser we'll have someone confirm it then," Thalia sighed. "Yellowstone is riddled with monsters and minor gods and goddesses. Plus, we'll have nymphs everywhere, so we should be good."

"Which geyser then?" Piper asked. "Half of the world's population of geysers is in Yellowstone. How are we supposed to know which one to go into? We couldn't just try everyone of them and see what happens, because our skin would be burnt off by then."

"Probably Old Faithful," she confirmed for them. "It is the most famous."

"Why would the giants even choose a geyser as one of the Gates?" asked Leo exasperated.

"Maybe because most people aren't big enough idiots to try and jump in one," Nico suggested.

"We need to get a move on," Thalia said. "We're actually in Cooke City, Montana right now, which is on the outskirts of the park. It's over a 100 miles to Old Faithful, and if we walk four miles every hour and rest for six, then we should be able to reach the geyser sometimes tomorrow. And if we're lucky, we might find a park ranger's car that we can highjack. Then it'll be quick."

No one said anything for a minute until Nico spoke up, once again. "I trust you Thalia, I really do. But how are we supposed to make sure that you are correct? If you're wrong, then it's our lives."

Everyone nodded a little, since they had been thinking the same thing. And Thalia then started to turn into the lieutenant that she was. She straightened her back and adjusted the tiara. She crossed her arms over her chest and let her eyes bore into everyone else's.

"Listen to me," she said calmly, but there was underlying anger in her tone. "My two friends, Percy and Annabeth, are fighting for their lives in Tartarus right now. We may never see them again unless we do something, and right now, none of you have a better idea on how to get back to Greece."

She stood up and brushed off her pants. "Now, you guys might think that the smartest idea is to find an airport and just fly back, but you don't have enough money and who knows how long it would take. We don't know where the next set of Gates are, so the only thing we can do is search for the closest ones to here. And maybe if we're lucky along the way, we'll find a god."

Thalia snatched the map from the ground. "Now, you guys can either follow me to Old Faithful, or I can go back to the other Hunters who actually might need me and capture Camp Jupiter. It's your choice entirely." She spat the last word.

Nico had only seen Thalia this mad on a few occasions, and it was usually during a fight between her and Percy. When she was determined, nothing was ever going to get in her way. And Nico understood her anger, because he had felt it himself.

She wasn't mad at them. Not really. It was almost like Survivor's Guilt. She still felt like it was her fault that Percy and Annabeth were Tartarus, even though there had been nothing she could have done about it. Nico had felt the exact same way when Bianca had died, all those years ago.

In a way, Thalia was right. None of them were really sure where to go, and flying back to Greece wasn't really an option at that point. They had a hunch that they weren't sure what to do with, and if they went to Old Faithful, the might be able to get some guidelines or help along the way. It was the only idea that they had, and they were running out of time.

Nico though back to the prophecy, and how it said he was supposed to die. Well, he wasn't going down without a fight. Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter were at war with one another. Percy and Annabeth were running for their lives. He wasn't going to sit back and do nothing.

So he stood up too and joined Thalia. "I'll go. The idea may be a little crazy, but it's the only one we got."

Hazel stood up next, and Frank along with her. They joined the two of them, leaving Leo, Piper, and Jason still on the ground, sitting next to each other. Then Leo stood up, a goofy smile on his face as he pushed around them and went right next to Thalia. She looked as if she could've done without him joining in too.

And then, Jason and Piper linked hands and joined Thalia. "Well, I'm glad that's settled," Thalia said finally as she assessed all of them. There was some sort of pride in her stance.

A twig cracked in half, and they were all alert in seconds, their backs pressed against each other so that they all had a view of the forest. The sound was not made again for quite some time, so Frank said, "Are we just being paranoid or what?" with a nervous laugh.

Nico could feel the end of Thalia's spear pressing into his back, and they all disbanded except for her. She stayed in her ready stance. "No, we weren't being paranoid. It's being paranoid if one person hears the noise, but we all did. Someone's out there. I'm sure of it."

Slowly, she crept forward. There was giggle, a girl's voice, and they knew that they weren't alone. "Who's there?" Thalia called out. When no one answered, a huge wind ripped through the forest and bent the trees, no doubt caused by Thalia. It wasn't Jason, because he looked just as shocked.

"Lieutenant Thalia, I don't think Artemis would appreciate you having used your powers to try and hurt me," said a girl's voice. It came from the same direction of the giggle. It wasn't that far away. The girl didn't sound scared, or even annoyed. She sounded like they were playing a game.

"Um, Thalia," Jason started. "Do you know this person?"

"I'm not sure… the voice seems familiar." Her eyes widened as the twigs snapped again and the leaves rustled, and they all remained frozen as a little girl stepped out from behind a few trees, a smile on her face.

The girl was clearly in no position to attack, as they had their weapons out. But she didn't look like she was trying to get into a fight. For starters, she could not have been older that Nico, and she was really small. She wore a brown sun dress and had her brown her up in a ponytail. Dirt was smudged across her face, and her teeth looked sharp. She had her hands to her sides, palms outward.

Recognition flared across Thalia's face as she lowered her spear. She gave the girl a small bow and put a smile on her face that Nico couldn't decide whether it was forced or real. "Well, I haven't seen you in a while. What are you doing here?"

The girl shrugged. "I needed a change of scenery. After the Titan War, Central Park wasn't exactly doing it for me. And Yellowstone is full of wildlife. It seemed sort of fitting. Who are your friends?"

Thalia looked over at them, gesturing with her head and hand. They bowed to her too, even though Nico had no idea who the person was. "These are Nico, Jason, Piper, Frank, Hazel, and Leo."

She looked confused. "Are the girls part of the Hunters? Are these men your captives?" The questions made sense. This girl was probably used to seeing the Hunters with only girls and no guys. Nico wanted to blend back with the shadows and pretend he wasn't there. The girl didn't look bad, but looks could be deceiving. He had learned that even by meeting Triton.

Thalia shook her head quickly. "Actually, Jason is my brother, and these are his friends. I'm going to help them a little bit with their quest before joining the rest of the Hunters again."

"Ah, well, that's nice of you." She still looked confused.

"Thalia, who is this person?" Jason asked again.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Guys, this is Taygete, and she's a good friend of the Hunters. Artemis and her go way back. The good part is that she's not an enemy, and she might be able to help us. Speaking of that, will you help us?"

This Taygete person, whoever she was, considered them for a second. "Sure, why not?"

* * *

** Boring chapter, but necessary, so sorry about that. Once again, I have Writer's Block! Percy Jackson won Battle of the Characters! Yay! **

**Reviews and Ideas are LOVED! Please check out all of those new stories I listed above!**

**-BBH**


	35. Chapter 35: Annabeth

**Just because I love you guys and don't want to do homework, here's some PERCABETH! #filler**

**Sorry for Typos/OOCness! And shortness. **

**Happy Reading!**

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Chapter 35

Annabeth

Annabeth loved the thrill of fighting.

Especially after not being able to full-out fight for however long it had been, she'd thought herself to be ready for anything. So much energy had been bottled up inside of her that if she hadn't done anything, she would've screamed.

Of course, she hadn't expected her first fight to be against Medusa. The last time she had seen Medusa was on her first ever quest with Grover and Percy. Looking back on it, it seemed like it had been a lifetime ago, when it was only a few years. It wasn't a particularly happy memory, but it was nostalgic material.

It was hard to fight an enemy that you couldn't look at. She only guessed it was Medusa by the voice that had haunted her for a long time and snakes nipping at her neck. She pieced those facts together with her dream about Nico, and how he wasn't looking at who he fought.

Once she had stood up and looked at Medusa from behind, she had seen that it was true.

Annabeth also guessed that Medusa had some sort of charmspeaking abilities. She had felt compelled not to do anything as Medusa tried to kill her, but she, thankfully, had pulled through it.

When Medusa had gone after Percy, she crossed the line. She had made Percy stop too, ready to kill him. She'd surged forward at the same time Percy had unfrozen and Medusa had lunged. Annabeth's strike was the first to land.

She had cut Medusa clean in half through the center of her body.

Annabeth was still a little mortified by that. Not because it was Medusa, but because of how she done it. Annabeth was strong. After training in camp for so long, she should've been. Perhaps with a sword it would've been simple to cut through a body, but it would've taken someone a while to slice a body in half, monster or not.

But she had cut right through Medusa with one swipe _using her knife._

Then, Medusa had dissolved, both parts of her, and was blown away from where they were to a new part of the forest. If she was eternally betrothed to this forest only, then it must've been huge. Annabeth already saw the difference between the pine trees where they were and the oaks where Nico had been.

Percy stared at her. She stared back. No words were spoken between them for quite some time.

They surged towards each other at the exact same time. Their lips met in a flurry of emotions and moved together at a rushing speed, as if they were never going to have enough time to be together. They kissed at an alarming speed.

There was no time for air. Clearly, Annabeth never knew when they were going to be attacked. They didn't break the kissing off for a while. Annabeth felt her eyes close for a few seconds, but then she opened them wide, wanting nothing more than to look at him. His eyes were opened and watching her carefully.

She smiled against his mouth and smiled even wider as she felt Percy's arms go around her. He crushed her to him, sort of forced but extremely carefully. She placed her hands against his chest and curled her fingers through his shirt. She wanted to be as close to him as she could.

Percy was the first to pull away. He looked at her with deep love in his eyes. "Are you okay?" he asked finally, cupping her cheek gently. She moved her face so that it pressed into his palm.

"I'm fine," she said slowly. "Just a few minor injuries. Nothing too major."

He nodded and pulled his head back a little farther. His gaze slid down her body until it landed on her ankle. She cringed a little. The pain was slowly creeping into it, not terrible, but a throb. She was still going to need her cast, sadly, but she wasn't wearing it. She could stand almost fine, but the extra support would help.

On the bright side, her ribs didn't hurt, which meant they were healed and that she had full mobility of her waist. Percy sighed, his face concerned for her. He looked so cute when he was worried. He gripped her arms and searched her face for any bit of pain.

She jabbed him in the gut with fingers. He grunted with discomfort. "What was that for?" he demanded.

"You're too worried about me. I'll be fine, trust me. If I'm hurt, I'll make sure that you're the first person that I tell." She nudged his shoulder with her own, and he nudged her back playfully.

"If you insist…" he trailed off and they separated. Annabeth's lips still tingled from their kiss. He sat down as Annabeth snatched her cast from the ground. In the midst of the battle, the cast had been thrown away from their small camp.

Once she had it back, she sat down next to him and strapped it onto her bad ankle. Percy gave her the pump from the backpack as she pumped air into the cast. The cast weighed so much. Percy had to help her stand back to her feet. Her ankle might have not felt that good, but she would rather feel the pain than the cast. If it didn't go away soon, then she didn't care about her ankle. She was gonna ditch the cast.

They didn't speak about Medusa, probably because they didn't want to. No doubt they would eventually, but after fighting, neither of them really felt like it.

"Okay, we have two options," Percy said finally, threading their fingers together.

"Hm?"

"We could chance it and stay here for a few more hours, so that we're completely rested and ready to face whatever we need to face." He looked wistful like he just wanted to do that.

"Then second?" she asked.

"We can leave now and continue on." They looked at each other. Percy shrugged. "I know it's the better option, but sleep would never hurt." He looked like he really wanted to believe that the first option was the best one, but they both knew it wasn't.

"The second," Annabeth said, glaring at him. "We need to get a move on before any more monsters decide to drop in, say hi, and kill us. I'm not sure if that will ever stop, but we do need to move on. We've rested enough as it is."

They hadn't, but they packed their bags quickly. Annabeth didn't risk looking at her phone again. She had no idea if when she had checked her time before was a trigger for Medusa finding them, but she wasn't about to test her theories. That could wait for another day at another time.

They started to hike again through the thick forest and up the side of the mountain. The incline was ever increasing. The breeze was picking up around them, churning their clothes and putting their hair into knots. Annabeth tied her hair back with some strings from her backpack but it didn't keep her hair out of her face.

She hated herself for feeling tired. Her feet were sore and she was starting to regret having told Percy to move on. She would give anything for a bed and a blanket.

She shivered in her t-shirt and jeans. She coughed against her shoulder. Percy turned around as he was a few feet ahead of her. He looked a little tired too, but he gripped on shoulder. "Do you need to stop?" he asked protectively.

Annabeth shook her head. "I'll think I'll pull through," she insisted. He stopped for another few seconds but then continued with her by his side. She disguised her grunts as much as she could. She wasn't sure how long passed as they kept walking through the dense forest.

They didn't see any monsters or any signs that Medusa had reformed to chase after them. But Percy kept one hand on Riptide and Annabeth had her knife sheathed on her arm. She was ready for anyone that decided to attack them. As bad as it was, she almost wanted another monster to chase them so that she could attack it. Maybe she should audition for 'My Strange Obsession' since she liked to fight. But now that she could, nothing would stop her.

With one huge gust of, the trees and Annabeth were bent sideways. It was so strong that she couldn't tell what direction it was coming from. The air just seemed to consume her. Percy was there and he kept her upright.

He grinned at her when the gust dialed down some. She stuck her tongue out at him.

The trees around them seemed to get taller and taller. The air got colder. The sky got darker. Everything changed in an instant. She looked to the sky through the thick foliage and saw tons of storm-like clouds gathering together. She cocked head to the side and listened to the sounds of the forest as the wind blew.

She stopped.

Through the new gust of wind, the sound was almost completely lost. She could barely hear it and Percy definitely couldn't, as he was looking at her like she was crazy. But she stopped at turned to the left, looking into the distance. There was no one there, only trees, but…

Had she heard a girl screaming? Or had it only been her imagination?

_Was it possible that they weren't alone?_

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**Yeah, it was a filler and pretty bad. Everyone has to have one. I need to story to move along and that was the only way to do that. Yes, that screaming is important for later on in the story… and I hope you all enjoyed that little bit of Percabeth. I enjoyed writing it. I'll have a better chapter soon! **

**Review/Ideas are loved. I have a new chaptered story called Oblivion. Please check it out. Love you!**

**-BBH**


	36. Chapter 36: Jason

**Sorry for the late update, but I am just really busy. I've been having Writer's Block with this story, which I why I've been updating the other stories instead. Thank you for the wonderful reviews and awesome support. I am going through some hard stuff in my life right now, but you guys usually make me forget about it and make my life all better, and for that, I thank you. So... enjoy!**

**Sorry for typos/OOCness.**

**Happy Reading!**

* * *

Chapter 36

Jason

Taygete was an awful like Tulip, and Jason didn't like that.

Tulip had tried to help them, even though they hadn't known much about her, and looked where it had gotten them: attacked by Triton, jumping into a volcano, and roaming the forest for hours. Who was to say that Taygete wasn't like her too?

As they walked through the forests of Yellowstone, Thalia seemed completely confident that Taygete wouldn't betray them, but Jason wasn't sure who to trust. He trusted Thalia, but that didn't mean he trusted her judgment.

"So, Taygete," Jason started off. "Why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself?"

Taygete gave him this look of pure loathing. She clearly didn't like guys at all and resembled the Hunters. Before they had started walking, she had seemed fairly confused, but now, venom was in her expression. Jason felt like backing up and hiding behind a tree trunk. Her eyes flashed a dangerous bright shade.

"Son of Jupiter, I think it best you do not ask questions," she said carefully, still eyeballing him. It was hard to break eye contact, as it was a sign of weakness, but Jason finally had to.

Thalia was looking at him. He shrugged his shoulders and she rolled her eyes. As Taygete moved ahead to lead the group, Thalia and Jason fell back. They hadn't had time to talk to each other without the rest of the group breathing down their necks.

"Don't you have any respect for people like this?" Thalia asked finally, once they had distanced themselves from the group. Thalia was acting like a big sister should, scolding her younger brother, which Jason even found sort of funny, since he looked older than she was.

"What do you mean by that?" he asked, lost.

"Taygete is like a Huntress. She does not take well to men at all unless they are slaves or getting ready to be killed. Now, usually she is peaceful. All the times I've met her she's been fine, but we never travel with men. Don't think for a second that just because I know you doesn't mean that she won't hurt you. She may be a nature goddess, but she really hates boys."

"Okay, what did I even do?"

"You questioned her!"

"I'm beginning to question this entire quest!" He ran a hand through his hair. "Look, I just want to keep my friends safe. I don't know who she is, so a little background would be nice."

Thalia's electric blue eyes roamed over his face. Finally, she sighed, slapped him on the shoulder, and walked off to join Taygete at the front of the pack. Somehow, that just seemed cruel and cold to Jason, like his sister was choosing some nymph over him. And it hurt.

Jason started walking faster so that he wasn't separated from everyone else. Frank and Hazel were holding hands and Piper was chatting with the two of them. Taygete and Thalia looked like they were catching up on the good old days, and only Leo seemed like the loaner. He was fiddling with bolts while staring at Thalia. Like, staring. Everywhere.

He walked up to Leo and slapped him lightly on the shoulder. He nearly jumped out of his skin. "Oh, hey man," he mumbled, rubbing his shoulder. "As much as I love surprises, please give me a warning next time."

"Please quit staring at my sister." Leo started to protest, but Jason held up a hand to stop him. "Dude, your eyes were everywhere. No offense, but she will slap you until your head is barely hanging onto your body."

Leo's eyes widened and he coughed into his shoulder. "I know, but hey, and man's gotta do what a man's gotta do. Just wait and see… you'll sister will be falling for me." Leo snapped his fingers. "Hey, that rhymed!"

Jason laughed a little bit at that. "How're you holding up?" he asked seriously after a few seconds. Leo was one of his really good friends, and they hadn't really talked to each other in a while. Jason felt like a crappy best friend.

The son of Hephaestus shrugged and started twiddling with the bolts again. "I'm okay, I guess." He looked around at the others like he didn't want to be overheard. He opened his mouth to say something, but then closed it very quickly as if he thought it best not to.

"What is it?" Jason asked quietly.

"Nothing," Leo murmured, not convincingly at all.

"It's never nothing."

Leo stopped with the bolts and stared at them. He slid them back into his tool belt and made a small flame appear in his hands. It ran over his palm and to the tips of all of his fingers. Then, it engulfed his hand and Jason sucked in a sharp breath. He'd known Leo was immune to fire for months now, but it always seemed to him like it would hurt like crazy. Leo made a fist, and the flame was extinguished.

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Well, I'm not gonna stop asking you until I get a good answer."

"Fine." Leo looked around again before speaking. "I can't help but think about Percy and Annabeth, you know? What're they going through, down in Tartarus? It must be terrible, and hardly anyone—demigod or god—has made it out of there."

Realization dawned upon Jason. "You still blame yourself for what happened to them."

Leo looked him directly in the eye. Jason noticed how tired Leo seemed, with dark bags under his eyes. When was the last time that he had slept? "If I hadn't opened up that fortune cookie, everything would be fine now. They'd be with us."

Leo had already told the group about meeting Nemesis and the fortune cookie deal. "If you hadn't opened that fortune cookie, you, Frank, and Hazel would all be dead. We wouldn't have the Archimedes sphere. At least Percy and Annabeth are still alive. There isn't much we can do for them, but we know how powerful they are. They'll be able to hold their own against whatever comes after them." But a part of Jason still said _what if?_ about that, and he knew all of his friends were asking the same question. "But really, Leo, it isn't your fault. So quit thinking that!"

"Whatever. I wish Nico could remember more about Tartarus. It'd be nice to know what they're having to go through."

Jason nodded, agreeing. But then something hit him. "Wait!" Jason said loudly. Everyone stopped and looked at him. He did a quick head count. "Where _is_ Nico?"

Where had he run off to now?

Taygete rolled her eyes and said something that sounded a lot like, "Men…"

They all started looking around and calling out his name. Only a few minutes ago had Nico been walking with them, being his normal, antisocial self. How could Jason have missed the son of Hades?

"What!" a voice yelled at them. It was Nico, and he sounded perfectly fine but far away. Footsteps sounded and leaves crackled, and soon enough, Nico was back with their group, and scowl on his face. "What happened?"

"Where the heck were you?" asked Piper.

"Using the facilities," he answered with a smug grin.

"Oh…" The others trailed off, not sure how to respond. Taygete had a look of pure disgust on her face and Thalia's nose crinkled. Jason crossed his arms. "We didn't know where you were. A little warning next time would be nice."

"Sure." He started walking, as did Taygete and Thalia, and so the rest started to walk too. Nico had dismissed the situation like it had been nothing, but honestly, Jason had been sort of worried. Nico could've been kidnapped too.

After walking for some time in silence, Thalia said, "Taygete, why don't you tell them a little bit about who you are."

Taygete stayed silent for about another minute, her sun dress billowing around her small body. Even though she looked like a child, she talked and presented herself like she had thousands of years of wisdom. Taking a deep breath, she said, "I am much older than I seem. I am thousands of years old and have been roaming forests for a… long time."

A gust of wind blew, bending the trees to the side. "I am a nymph and a very old friend of Artemis. I have known her since the Hunt first started. Every so often I drop in to see how she is doing, which is how I know Thalia." The two girls smiled at each other. "I'd trust Thalia with anything, so if she believes that you all need help, I will help you."

"Thank you," Hazel replied sweetly. Taygete nodded at her.

"It is a long journey to the geyser known as Old Faithful. I too have heard of these Gates that you seek out, and I do believe that there may be on within that geyser. It is dangerous, but what is life without risks?"

"Peaceful," Jason heard Leo say.

Out of nowhere, something landed on Leo's head. Leo let out a screech and started to buck his head back and forth, so fast that Jason couldn't tell what was on him. Whatever it was did not want to let go. Jason was so shocked that he couldn't do anything but watch.

Finally, the thing sailed off of Leo's head and landed on the ground. Jason almost laughed when he saw that it was a furry squirrel. It scampered off. Leo's face was covered in little scratch marks, but nothing too serious.

Thalia laughed and tossed Leo a bag of ambrosia.

Taygete looked at him. "In addition to being a nymph, I am the Mistress of Animals." Which explained the crazy animal. Leo glared at the nymph, but she ignored him.

"Back to what I was saying. Yes, the giants made these Gates a long time ago. They're indeed spread out across the world. I do believe that one if here in Yellowstone, and Old Faithful seems like the most likely of spots. I'm sure we'll meet some other nymphs and monsters along the way that will be able to give us more insight."

"There are other people in the forest?" asked Frank.

"Tons. Yellowstone National Park is huge."

"So, you're Mistress of Animals," Piper said. "Can you just control animals and make them do what you want?"

Taygete stopped and looked at them all. And then she changed.

Her arms and legs became smaller and longer. Her nose became longer and her skin darker. She started to grow fur, everywhere. Her clothes disappeared and she went down onto all fours. Except for Thalia, they all backed up as she kept changing. Her ears perked up.

Taygete had become a doe.

"I guess I have to explain this part," Thalia said as Taygete trotted up to her and nudged her in the side. "Artemis and Taygete had a little… hm, spat, I guess, a while ago, and Artemis turned her into a doe. She stayed like that for a long time, but now she can change in between those two forms freely."

Taygete nodded her head and changed back into a human, brown dress included and hair already up. She smoothed her clothes and looked at them all, amusement in her expression. "Let's keep walking," she said slowly, and they continued on.

Maybe an hour passed, but the sun climbed high into the sky. Jason's shirt was soaked through with sweat. Clouds started to gather, as if it was going to rain. Jason knew that he should have power over storms, but no matter how hard he concentrated, the clouds refused to disperse.

Something weird was going on.

The nymph turned to Thalia. "Can you not make these clouds go away? The last thing we need is to journey during a thunderstorm."

Thalia's jaw was locked stiffly. "I've been trying to, but something weird is going on. Nothing is working for me…. Jason? What about you?"

"Same."

The clouds got thicker and darker. It was going to rain soon. The wind went in two directions like it was torn between two paths. Half the trees blew one way and half went the opposite way. That wasn't natural and they all knew that. Taygete stopped in her tracks like she had been in this situation before. "No… It can't be."

"What?" they asked her, and someone appeared just as the first rumble of thunder sounded.

The trees bent in opposite directions, and a tall lady stepped out from the braches. Even though she was probably a football field length away, Jason could make out everything about her. She was super tall and wore pristine white robes that flowed down her body. She had dark brown hair that went down to her hips, even though half of it was braided around the top. He could see her calculating cold eyes mapping them out as she approached.

She was beautiful. And Jason knew her.

"No, what's she doing here?" Taygete gasped softly, covering her mouth with her hands in shock. "I haven't seen her in years… this is not good." She looked like she wanted to turn into a doe and prance away from all of this. "Gods, what have I gotten myself into?"

"What!?" Leo asked, backing up a few feet. "Who is she?"

"Enyo," Taygete whispered, shaking her head, looking thoroughly confused and scared.

"No," Jason corrected, gulping. That was her Greek name, but her Roman name was... "Bellona."

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**Oh snap. **

**Reviews and Ideas are loved!**

**-BBH**


	37. Chapter 37: Percy

**Regarding what happened in the previous chapter: I've received many reviews saying that Bellona is strictly Roman and that you're confused. Dearies, this is a ****FanFiction****, so you'll just have to wait until the next chapter to find out what this means. **

**Sorry for typos and OOCness. Enjoy!**

**Happy Reading!**

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Chapter 37

Percy

Annabeth stopped and looked around, causing Percy to stop too, but only once he had realized she wasn't with him anymore.

In the middle of the forest, almost near the peak of the mountain, she looked odd in the strange green light that was given off from the moon. Clouds had been steadily rolling in for a long time now, making him wonder if it was going to rain. That was the last thing that they needed. But the wind was howling and yanking at his hair and clothes.

Percy couldn't possibly sleep at all. After the attack from Medusa, he wasn't sure he'd ever be able to sleep again. He wanted to, and his muscles ached from relief, but he knew it wasn't the right thing to do.

What if they were attacked again? Medusa definitely wasn't the only monster in the vast area of Tartarus. Sooner or later they'd come by an even worse monster that would really try to hurt them. Not all of them would try to kidnap them for Gaea or the giants. Some of them would be out to make sure that they died and stayed that way.

But if they were kidnapped, they would probably end up dying. Percy and Annabeth were needed as sacrifices to bring Gaea back to life. That wasn't good.

He couldn't help but stay protective over Annabeth. She was walking again and at great distances. He almost expected her to drop out, but she had that steely determination etched into her face, like no one was going to be able to tell her anything,

But she looked spooked now. The blood had drained from her face and her eyes were wide. The wind blew her hair around her head like a noose. She gulped nervously and seemed oblivious to everything, including Percy.

"Annabeth?" he asked worriedly. She had that glassy look on her eyes like she had when she had been possessed back at Hoarding Wonderland."Are you okay?"

When she didn't respond, Percy started to worry. He walked back over to her. When she didn't even seem to notice he was there. He shook her shoulders. She pushed him away and shot him a look that could kill. She waved him away and looked into the distance, concentrating hard.

"What is it?" he asked. She shushed him and stayed there, not moving, for almost an entire minute. When she moved, it actually, scared Percy enough that he jumped back.

She smirked at him. "Someone's a little jumpy," she said softly, but her eyes were squinted.

"You freaked me out," he admitted. "What was all that about? You're letting your ADHD take over your body, I think." She socked him in the arm, and he shrugged. "What? I'm telling the truth. It was pretty weird, even for you."

Annabeth rolled her eyes, but there was something about the way she stood that made her seem very uptight. She shook her head. "Thanks a lot, but it was nothing. I just thought…" she trailed off, glanced at him again, but then just shook her head once more. Why wasn't she telling him anything?

She tried to keep on walking, but Percy stopped her with an outstretched arm. "What happened?" he asked seriously, which he never did.

She sighed and looked him in the eye. "I just thought that I heard something, that's all."

"It was clearly more than something."

"I thought I heard a girl screaming," she clarified. She shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not sure, and with the wind blowing it was hard to tell, but I'm pretty sure a girl was screaming. And it drew my attention."

"Um, that's an even better reason why we should keep on going. Screaming isn't good."

"No, that's not my point," she insisted. "There was someone screaming. Someone who is like us. It wasn't an evil scream at all. This person sounded terrified, like she was being hurt or even tortured." She bit her lip. "Now, I'm not usually like this, but I think we should go see who it was. Maybe if we save this person, they'll be able to help us."

"That's not a smart idea," Percy told her. "It could be a ploy, just to make us come over there and get us. say we keep on moving so that we can try to find the Doors of Death. Then we'll find our way out of this place and it'll all be over."

Annabeth wasn't buying it. She crossed her arms over her chest and cocked her hip to the side. "No, we need to see who this is. For all we know, one of our friends could've fallen down here too and need our help. We should go see who it is, and we can hold our own if it is someone bad."

Percy mimicked her pose and voice. "Well, if we we're going to be logical like you always are, then we should leave now and keep going over the mountains so we don't get any more lost than we already are. Considering we were just attacked by Medusa, I don't think your idea is smart."

Annabeth stared at him for a long second, and Percy suddenly thought about how funny the situation was. Usually, she was in his place and he was in hers. He would've laughed, but they weren't in a good situation.

To his amazement, she walked up next to him. "Fine, lead the way out of here."

He blinked at her. "Are you being serious?"

She shrugged. "Sure, just follow me for a second. We aren't going to go far, but I just want to walk around in that direction for a second and see if we can hear it again."

"Why are you so dead set on seeing who this person is?"

Annabeth sighed. "Some things I just can't explain. But I'm thinking about the worst. This person could be a demigod and be in the same situation as we are. They could be hurt and need help, but there's no one there to help them. If I were in their place, I would hope someone would come and try to help me."

She walked a few feet through the swaying trees. Another gust of wind blew, and then Percy heard it.

The terrible scream pierced the air. It was definitely a girl and she sounded terrified and in pain. And then he felt like Annabeth. He wanted to go after the girl and help the person get free, because he had been in the same place before and had needed help.

He wasn't sure how far away it was, but it wasn't in the direction that they were walking. It was off, deep in the forest's of the mountains. The girl screamed once more, and it made Percy's body shake, like he was going against some sort of instinct by not help the person. He felt like a terrible person.

The screaming stopped, and so did the wind. For a second, it was just too quiet.

Annabeth's skin whitened. "Did you hear it that time?"

Reluctant or not, he wasn't sure, but he nodded. "Yeah, I heard it, but I still think we should go, because if something is hurting that girl, then we don't want it hurting us."

"I agree." But she clearly didn't. Percy didn't like what he was saying either. He thought he was being cruel and somehow betraying the girl by not going after her. She sounded scared and in need of help, and she sounded way too human to be in such a horrific place like they were.

But he couldn't see Annabeth get more hurt than she already was. They needed to keep moving.

Percy grabbed her hand, and they walked away from the source of the screaming. The wind started up again as they walked, their feet sore. Many hours had passed since they had woken up and battled Medusa. Percy slid his hand into his pocket and touched his sword for reassurance.

It started to rain just as the moon and stars were covered up, and they were in pitch black.

The rain wasn't light; it hammered into them both relentlessly, like little mini hail stones. It made trying to see even harder than it was. Annabeth reached into her bag and took out her flashlight. When she switched it on, they still couldn't see that far ahead of them.

"This sucks," Annabeth said a few minutes later. Percy could just make out the outline of the other mountains. They were near the top of theirs, and the trees were starting to thin. They'd get a good view of the area once they reached the top.

She looked at Percy. "Can't you do anything about the rain?"

Percy shook his head. He wasn't getting wet like Annabeth, but it was still annoying. The rain felt slippery against his skin like he was getting wet, but it was like having a coat on. He knew the water was there but it just didn't affect him. "I'm not a son of Zeus or Jupiter. This kind of stuff is what Jason and Thalia do."

"But you can still control hurricanes and stuff."

"Honestly, I don't control them. They kind of just… happen."

Annabeth nodded. They continued on for a few minutes, and Percy could feel how soaked she was. He felt kind of bad that he couldn't get wet unless he wanted to. Annabeth was the first to speak again. "I had a few dreams right before we were attacked…"

She explained how she'd found out it was Medusa because of her dream about Nico, and how she was still trying to piece together the new prophecy. But when she began to explain the deal with the new giant Tityos, Percy's heart started to beat a mile a minute.

"This is the last thing that we need," Percy groaned. "Another giant is coming after us, and we still have to face Gaea, and all of these other monsters that hate our guts and we're stuck in Tartarus trying to find the Doors of Death and a way out."

"And it's raining," Annabeth added miserably.

"Yeah, that too."

For some reason, Percy thought of the screaming girl. This rain probably wasn't helping what was happening to her.

When he looked back up, his stomach fell. They were almost at the top. Percy felt like running up and jumping for joy, but Annabeth couldn't run, so they kept going at their same speed. By the tension in her arm, he could tell that she didn't like it either. If Annabeth had a gun, she'd be using her cast as target practice by now.

The moon peeked through the clouds slightly, when they did reached the top, like a silver lining.

When Percy saw everything in front of him, his mouth hit the ground.

It was like a highway system. There were roads connecting in all different directions, crisscrossing in the oddest of patterns like some crazy interstate from outside of New York. It was like Interstate 95 on some serious steroids. It was huge and carried on for miles and miles. The construction was still going on in some places.

The crazier part was that monster were down there. Thousand of them shuffled in lines down the highways, kept there by some unseen force. They had shackles around their wrists and feet and kept stared at the ground with their single or multiple eyes.

There were so many in one place that he wanted to be sick. Some of them he recognized. There were many Cyclops' and some rogue centaurs. He saw bad Furies that Hades had kicked out and he was pretty sure he saw Dr. Thorn, aka the Manticore, right at the bottom of the mountain. They were all heading in various directions on the Highway to Hell… or, the Highway through Hell.

Annabeth wordlessly switched the flashlight off. "I don't think we're going to find any help down there."

Percy scanned the area again. He felt deflated. But then he saw something that had to be good and possibly and ally. For the first time since they had been in Tartarus, they might be able to see a friendly face.

Percy pointed to one of the construction cranes. On the side of it, the label read:

_**Daedalus Construction Inc.**_

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**Please read my new one-shot, 13 Reasons Why. It'd mean a lot.**

**Reviews and ideas, as always, are loved.**

**-BBH**


	38. Chapter 38: Nico

****As of 5/26/13. I forgot to say that The House of Hades cover will be released in a few days!** I know I haven't updated in a few weeks, but I did indeed write in the summary of this story, 'On Hiatus.' And, if you read Dear FanFiction, I explained that I am having major personal life issues right now with my family and I have my Finals coming up. Plus, I had writer's block. But I am sorry this story was on hold, and hopefully this chapter will clear some confusion up. **

**Sorry for typos/OOCness. **_**End of school countdown: Eight and a half school days**_**! But in those days, I have seven or so Finals to take, which sucks monkey butt**

**Happy Reading!**

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Chapter 38

Nico

"Whoa, whoa, wait!" Leo said hurriedly as they all scrambled back from Enyo. "Just hold up!"

"Leo, I think we would all love to just 'hold up', but that is clearly not going to happen," Frank said through gritted teeth, wrapping an arm around Hazel. As a gust of wind blew, it was so strong that Nico swayed to the side.

Nico was still backing up into the trees. The last thing they needed was another anger god or goddess coming after them. Considering the last god they had come across had tried to hand them all over to the giants, he didn't necessarily want to have a chat with another. Nico had never even heard of a goddess named Enyo before.

He knew it was bad when even Taygete looked scared. So did Thalia. Rather than wanting to fight, they looked like they wanted to run for cover. That couldn't be good.

Enyo was still many yards away, as she had stopped approaching. She was watching them thoughtfully, her head socked to the side and eyes narrowed. Her hair spun around her head, making a halo, but everything about her seemed cold and ready to kill. Nico gulped and pressed his back to a tree. He was a ways away from the others, who were all in a group together. He got his weapon into his hand.

"Why did you say she was Enyo," Leo said to Taygete, and then turned to Jason as he said, "and you say she was Bellona? I thought Bellona was strictly Roman, and I've never even heard of Enyo. What the heck is going on and why does this goddess look like she wants to kill us?"

Okay, so he pretty much summed up everyone's questions.

"That is definitely Bellona," Jason said matter-of-factly. "She looks just like Reyna. Now, I was raised to believe Bellona was strictly Roman, but after all we've been through, I wouldn't be surprised if that was a lie too. Maybe she is Enyo."

"Oh, she is Enyo, believe me," Taygete muttered. "And you guys should be more scared than that."

"How come we've never heard of Enyo?" demanded Piper.

"And why were we always told Bellona was Roman?" questioned Hazel.

Taygete sighed, a small blade suddenly in her hand. She twirled it around her fingers. "Now is not the time for things like this. We must leave before this… heathen comes after us." She glanced at Thalia, who nodded in agreement.

"Just explain it," barked Nico suddenly. He wasn't sure where that had come from, and they all jumped at his voice. Taygete turned on him, eyes bright. He was positive that if they hadn't had a sociopath goddess in front of him he was probably be dead.

"Enyo is a Greek goddess of war. She is sort of like Athena in the sense of being a goddess of war, but like Ares in the sense that she causes total destruction to cities. She used to ride through cities with Phobos and Deimos, terrorizing people, before turning the cities into ruins. She is not a goddess that is nice. But she was soon forgotten by most people and almost faded from existence. The fall of the Greek empire was almost a good thing for her."

"How so?" inquired Jason, suddenly interested too. Nico snorted inwardly. At least he was done acting like a know it all.

"Enyo became full out Roman. She left behind her past, since no one longer thought about or respected her, and took on the form of Bellona. Now, Enyo is forgotten, but Bellona to this day remains. Bellona is much more… diplomatic, I suppose, since she is Roman, but still a fear on the battlefield."

"So, is this Enyo or Bellona?" Leo asked again, impatiently.

"It's Enyo," said Taygete.

At the same time, Jason said, "It's Bellona."

Thalia grunted. "I think it's both. I've seen a few gods and goddesses while the Hunt has been traveling, and many of them are crossed between their Greek and Roman forms. It's like they have multiple personalities. Maybe it has something to do with the Giants or the fact that the Greeks and Romans are meeting each other. I don't know, but right now this doesn't matter. Enyo/Bellona looks pretty angry at us, and clearly that isn't good."

Nico was actually glad Thalia had said that. They did have better things to worry about other than the fact that apparently Bellona _did_ have a less known Greek counterpart named Enyo. This goddess looked out to kill some demigods.

Thalia notched an arrow and took aim at Bellona, who'd started to approach once again, a look of thoughtfulness across her face. Thalia's eyes squinted, and her fingers twitched. The arrow was getting ready to fly.

Bellona let out a loud laugh as rain began to hammer them. "Is this really a smart thing to do, Thalia Grace?" Nico was struck speechless by how much she sounded like Reyna. Yeah, this had to be Bellona. Not Enyo.

Suddenly, Thalia gasped in pain, and the bow faltered in her hand before flying out of it with a hard gust of wind. Lightning cracked loudly and not far off. Nico took a step towards her, and out of the corner of his eyes, he caught the goddess's cold smile that sent shivers down his back. Bellona made a fist, and Thalia backed arched as she screamed in pain. What was she doing to her, and why was she doing it?

Taygete stepped in front of Thalia, trying to shield her. She was visibly shaking. "State your reason for being here, Enyo," she demanded, squeezing the knife in her hand. "I do not appreciate my friends being handled like this, and do not mistake me for being so peaceful."

Bellona's robes billowed around her body, and cold beauty and power rippled off of her in torrents. "Taygete. I had no idea that you roamed these forests now. And I had no idea that you kept company like this. Are these people your friends? Are you honestly choosing sides in this war? I though you liked to remain neutral."

The nymph's chin jutted out stubbornly. "I do like to remain neutral, but I will always help my friends when they are in need of help."

"Even the men?"

Taygete hesitated, but then confirmed, "Even the men."

Thunder rumbled the ground. Nico hadn't even realized that they all had taken stance. Even he had his body in a defensive position with his sword out to strike. Thalia was gasping for air behind them, and even though he wanted to see if she was okay, he knew turning his back on Bellona would be a foolish move.

"What are you doing here?" Taygete repeated.

"Well, I can't just have these demigods jumping into Old Faithful, now can I?" She flipped her brown hair over her shoulder, and a golden lance materialized in her hand. "That would ruin everything. This war has just begun, and I can't have them stopping that, now can I?"

Taygete gasped. "No… You haven't joined the Giant's, have you?" But the shrug and grin from Bellona justified their suspicions. "Enyo, this is treachery against the gods of Olympus. You dare defy them?"

"I am not Enyo, nature goddess," she said shortly. With a wave of her free hand, lighting struck a tree not twenty feet away from him. Nico felt the electricity vibrating through his bones and rattling his teeth. The tree crashed to the ground as it caught on fire. "I gave up that name a long, long time ago."

"Very well then, _Bellona_," Taygete hissed. "These demigods have done nothing against you. There is no reason for you to do this. Leave now before you face the ultimate consequence, because I will fight back against you."

"I am surprised by you, Taygete," Bellona said. "I would think that you, of all people, would support our side in this war. After the things that the gods and goddesses have done to you, I thought you'd be leading this war. You need to sort out your priorities."

What did she mean by that? What had the gods and goddesses done to Taygete? Nico looked at Frank, who was the closet person to him, eyebrows raised in question. Frank shook his head, miffed and confused too. He was clutching his bow and arrow, obviously worried that whatever had happened to Thalia would happen to him too.

There was a scream of rage, and before Nico could even react, a silver arrow whistled past his head and shot at Bellona. The goddess merely flicked the arrow to the side, but the fury that tightened her muscles was clear. Nico glanced at Thalia behind him. She was standing on her feet, back against a tree, but she wasn't going to give up so easily.

Bellona rolled her eyes and flicked her middle finger against her thumb. Thalia yelped as she was thrown back, her back cracking against a trunk as she slid down to the ground. Jason looked like he was getting ready to run after her as he yelled, "Thalia!" But Taygete beat him to it. She rushed to her side and cradled her head in her lap. Taygete and Thalia were closer friends then they had let on.

Jason whirled on Bellona. "Why would you bother joining the Giant's? That's going against you daughters! Why would you betray Hylla and Reyna?"

"Jason Grace, when will you learn this lesson? You join the winning side. My daughters could easily join with me and live, but if they are too naïve and ignorant to do so, then so be it. Hylla is a weak leader, anyway. Otrera would've been the ideal leader, as she was on our side. Her own people will soon rebel against her, realizing her mistakes, and then she will be dead before she realizes her mistakes."

"Are you that heartless?" asked Piper.

"You, Piper Mclean, do not even realize what heartless is. Aphrodite, as ironic as this is, has always been heartless, and so are her offspring. When Reyna and Hylla were born, I thought they would grow to be great leaders, Generals of armies, and rulers of war, but clearly I set my hopes too high. They worked on an island spa under the direction of that witch Circe. I call that embarrassing."

"What about Reyna? She's an amazing leader," Hazel interjected. Nico was surprised by this. It was Reyna who was leading the army to destroy the Greeks and had led them to kill the seven.

"My daughter Reyna can barely hold together a _camp_ of Romans. She too is a letdown. She will probably end up being killed in this war against the Greek camp."

She whipped her arms out to the side, and tremors shook the ground with an earthquake. It was so powerful that they lost their balance and crashed to the ground. According to Taygete, Bellona, or Enyo, or whatever, had caused destruction to cities. He did not want to see what they were going to do to them.

"Unfortunately, not all of you will die. I have to take Nico di Angelo in for myself."

Say what?

Nico was on his feet in a second. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Gaea has informed everyone that she needs the son of Hades for herself. You could make this a lot easier by just walking over here and joining us. I promise you, I won't kill any of your friend's if you do so."

"Why do you want Nico?" asked Piper.

"Something about him being the Ghost King," Bellona said. And suddenly, Nico wasn't even there in Yellowstone. He was a twelve year old with King Minos by his side. He was facing King Minos, and telling him that he was the Ghost King, and that he had the power. And then he was in that dark cavern with Tityos near him, saying that he was going to die from a prophecy. And then, Thalia was reading the prophecy to them.

_The Ghost King Will Forever Reign in Hell. _

"So what? I'm the Ghost King. Big whoop." Nico sighed and rolled his eyes. "I've known that for years. It's one of my fonder aliases."

"You demigods are such idiots sometimes. You being the Ghost King means everything," she barked at them. "You are the key to this war. We need you on our side." Bellona almost seemed to be pleading with him. "You could save your friends lives if you just walk over to us now. Otherwise, I will have to take you by force, and I cannot promise that I won't rip out the spine of one of yours friends in the process."

She took a small step towards them. "Nico di Angelo, you will _die_ if you do not join us."

Those words were a hard pill to swallow. He was going to die if he didn't join the Giant's. And he knew it was true. Also, if he didn't join their side, his friends would die. But what would happen if he did join their side? He had a pretty good feeling his friends would still die if he did. "Why do you need me anyway? What's the big deal about me being the Ghost King?"

She shook her head sadly. "Join us, Nico."

"_Join us, Nico."_

That time, it wasn't Bellona who'd said it. It was a male's voice, soft and firm. It was soothing and diplomatic. It was so quiet that only Nico would've been able to hear it. The rain that poured in front of him thickened, and an image appeared in front of him, as if he were looking through an Iris Message. But there was no sun.

Tityos stood there, his hand outstretched to Nico. He was one step away. His life and his friend's lives could be saved if he just took one step forward.

Tityos must've read his mind, because he smiled warmly. "_That's all you have to do Nico. One step."_

Far away, his friend's were yelling his name, but the sound was muffled. Nico could hear the victorious laughter of Bellona, thinking she had already won. And Tityos was smiling, his suit and tie perfectly ironed, the rain not affecting him.

Nico surged forward, bringing his sword back. He swiped the blade through the image of Tityos, causing it to dissolve. He wasn't sure how he did it, but one moment he was next to his friends, and the next he was right in front of Bellona, fighting her as if he were the best warrior in the war.

The lance and sword connected, and sparks flew.

He was vaguely aware of his friends running up to join the fight, but it was really only him and Bellona. She swung down with the lance, but Nico, anticipating the move, jumped backward and struck her side as her lance struck the ground.

She gasped and ichor dripped down her side. Nico attacked again, their sparring deadly. Her lance swung not an inch away from his throat. He jabbed at her gut with his sword, and she narrowly jumped back to escape becoming a shish kebab. Irritation filled her expression as Nico parried a terrible blow that she had attempted.

Nico lost track of how long their battle went on. The lance struck his face, slicing open his cheek, but he barely felt anything. He was on a crazy adrenaline high. He kicked at her kneecap, but she dodged. He lunged to the side as she attempted a fatal hit. The ground beneath them shook, and Nico didn't know if it was because of him or her. Not that it mattered. This time, he didn't fall down. He stayed up and fought.

Fire struck her in the side, in the same place where Nico had previously struck her. Flames licked up the side of her robes and into her long hair, even with the terrible rain. But he hadn't done that.

Leo stood there, his arms full of flames. He smiled when Bellona screamed from the burning. Leo turned around and shook his butt in her face. "That's what happens when you aren't on Team Leo. You get a fistful of fire!" He sounded gleeful, and even after everything that had happened, Nico smiled a little.

He looked back, and Taygete was helping Thalia stand up again. Thalia didn't look too good. Her hair was full of branches and leaves and she had to fully lean on Taygete.

Nico turned back, but he hadn't realized how much Bellona had recovered. The fire was out, and her clothing was burnt and barely hanging onto her body. But she looked out to kill.

She waved her burnt arms, and a wave of power hit his chest. He flew backwards and landed on his back, every bit of air leaving his lungs. Bellona cackled menacingly. "Stand up and fight, coward."

Against the sharp pain between his shoulder blades, Nico jumped to his feet, sword still in his hand. At the same time, Bellona made a fist, and something happened. This evil power coursed through his veins, like fire mixed with acid. The pain… oh, the pain was like jumping into the River Styx. His back arched as he fell to his knees, his mouthed opened in a silent scream and eyes screwed shut. Behind his lids, he saw blinding colors. And he just wanted this pain to stop, but it was relentless. It wouldn't stop. Was this what had happened to Thalia? He felt like he couldn't breathe.

Electricity filled the air and thunder cracked.

There was an _oof_ and the pain ceased. Nico wanted to see what had happened, but he was struggling to catch his breath. His body felt numb.

He opened his eyes and turned his head to the side. Jason had his blade out pointed at Bellona, who was on her knees. Jason had probably just struck her with enough lightning to kill an army of men. But the goddess of war wasn't giving up so easily. She was still deflecting the hits and swings that his friends were doing. It was five on one, and she was still winning.

There was a blur of brown, and something hit her, sending her to the ground. Nico blinked at the doe, and then remembered that Taygete was the Mistress of Animals and that she could do things like that.

She changed back into a nymph. Her dress was torn, and she looked like the scariest little girl Nico had ever seen. "Get out of here!" she screamed at them. "I'll hold her off! LEAVE!"

And then Thalia was over him, stretching a hand down. She pulled him to his feet. Nico looked over and saw Taygete and Bellona in a death match. "I liked you better when you were Enyo," Taygete said softly to Bellona.

Bellona screamed in rage and attacked Taygete. Nico couldn't believe that Taygete was doing this for them. "LEAVE!" Taygete screamed again. "GO TO OLD FAITHFUL!"

The group of demigods began to run away through the clearing. Where to, Nico wasn't sure, but any place was better than where they were. Nico didn't want to just leave Taygete. She may've not liked him, but she was risking everything to protect them. That was respectable.

As they ran through the trees, Nico heard Bellona say the same thing Tityos had said a few days ago. "The next time we meet, Nico di Angelo, we will be enemies on the battlefield." After that, he could only hear the sounds of metal meeting and the cries of terror and pain. Nico had a sickening feeling that Taygete wouldn't be the winner of this battle.

And even though he wanted to help, he was too selfish to turn around and try to. He had to keep running with his friends, even if that meant leaving their savior behind. What did that say about him? Was he a terrible person?

But it was impossible to block out the horrific screams that would haunt him for some time to come.

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**I hope this makes up for the absence of me. This is the longest chapter yet in the story, so I hope it was okay.**

**Reviews and ideas are loved!**

**-BBH**


	39. Chapter 39: Annabeth

**Since I'm not sure if I'll come out of the English Final alive, here's a chapter.**

**Sorry for typos/OOCness. Plus, this is very fast paced, so sorry about that. Check out my new oneshots, 'We Were Made For This' and 'I Am Death.'**

**Happy Reading!**

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Chapter 39

Annabeth

After facing down Arachne and her minions, Annabeth should've been able to get past the spiders.

Or, at least that's what she had said inside of her head.

So as they made their way down the steady decline of the mountains through the few clumps of tree, they tried to stay as quiet as they could. So many monsters in one area twisted Annabeth's stomach into little knots. If either of them were spotted, they wouldn't have an entire army on them. They'd have an entire population.

As Annabeth brushed back some branches as gently as she could, a black dot the size of her fist plopped down on her hand, latching through her fingers. She could feel the miniscule hairs brush across her skin as the thing scurried and hissed. Percy noticed it at the exact same time and wrapped a hand around her mouth before she yelped.

It was a freaking spider.

In a second, she had her knife out and stabbed it through the abdomen. Then, she proceeded to do a girly freak-out dance as she shook her hand off and rubbed it against tree bark.

"So gross… so, so gross," she whispered hoarsely.

Percy looked like he was trying to hold back a smile and failing miserably at it. She slapped his chest. "It's not funny," she hissed quietly.

"I'm not laughing."

"Yes you are," she grumbled as she began to walk again. She was surprised when Percy caught her around the waste and spun her towards him. "Whoa!" she said, startled. "What was that for?"

He just pressed a sweet kiss to the corner of the mouth. "No reason at all."

She rolled her eyes and they continued to make their way down. It was a fast process, and they had to scurry like rats from one source of shelter to the next so that they wouldn't risk being caught. Even though the monsters were in shackles as they trotted down the roads, it wouldn't take much for all of them to start running at the same time towards the same target.

More than once did a monster almost see them. Annabeth still wasn't that fast with her stupid cast, and she tripped over a root while trying to get behind one of the trees.

It was like everything was in slow motion. Her hands whirled as she tried to stop herself but she couldn't. She ended up face planting the ground with Percy already behind the tree. Every stupid branch and leaf on the ground crunched underneath her, because that was just her luck

One of the monsters, and foul looking creature with too many eyes, stopped and looked around, sniffing the air. Annabeth's heart skipped a beat as she was just frozen there, but then Percy pulled her into the safety of the leaves so that they'd be invisible to the monsters.

The thing's eyes blinked. Annabeth hated not knowing what a monster was, but some of the creatures that she was seeing were unidentifiable to her. A mean looking harpy shoved him from behind, and the thing reluctantly kept walking along. Even though they were very far away, Annabeth could've sworn she'd heard it say, "I smell demigod."

That's when Annabeth decided that she'd had enough of the boot.

"Gimme a second," she told Percy as she sat down and undid the straps on the boot as quickly as she could. She didn't have a shoe for the other foot, but she thought that she could manage.

"Um, is that a really good idea?" asked Percy. Annabeth shot him a look. "I mean, you're still healing."

"This only slows us down, Percy. The last thing that we need is to be slowed down." She threw the boot in an overgrown shrub but kept the pump in her bag. The end of it was sort of pointy, and it could be a last minute weapons if they needed one, but she seriously hoped that it wouldn't come to that.

Percy started to say something, but then he hesitated and dropped it. He helped her up, and it felt weird, but there was no pain in her ankle. When they ran to the next bit of foliage, there still wasn't pain, but the awkwardness hadn't left. Her foot tingled like it was asleep and she didn't run right. She dismissed it though. There was no doctor to help her.

Annabeth saw the promised sign ahead of her. _**Daedalus Construction Inc.**_

Daedalus was Annabeth's idol, even if he had kind of lied to them a few years ago, when he had been at their camp pretending to be a demigod named Quintus. But before he had died to destroy the Labyrinth, he had given Annabeth one of her most prized possessions: his laptop.

But it was more than that. The laptop contained every blueprint and idea Daedalus had and then some. It was a weapon and a valuable asset to her. She was glad that she had it back.

Seeing Daedalus would be awesome. He was friendly and would probably help them.

Annabeth had known that he was working on construction in the Underworld, but she hadn't known that it had included Tartarus. That was pretty dangerous, but nothing too bad could've happened, as he was already dead as it was.

The old construction cranes were up there with cement mixers and other vehicles. From where they were, Annabeth couldn't see anyone inside of them, and they weren't moving.

"It's a trap," said a sing-songy voice behind them.

If Annabeth hadn't known better, she might have screamed. The jump scare, along with the spiders and the monsters, was getting to be too much. And when she saw the cause of the voice, fire seeped through her bones.

Hera.

Annabeth had a long history with Hera, and it wasn't too good of one. "What are you doing here?" she demanded, her hands curling into fists. She snatched her knife from its sheath and kept it trained on her. Percy looked flabbergasted, as if he weren't sure what to do.

"Really, Annabeth, is this the place?" she asked.

Fury rolled through her. Hera was the reason that this entire mess had started. It had been her idea to bring the two camps together by kidnapping Jason and Percy and switching them for many months, and giving them amnesia at the same time. But her history with Hera went back even farther to when she was fifteen and on her very own quest. Her Majesty had almost let Nico go over to the Titan's side, and after that, Hera had done everything in her power to make Annabeth's life miserable.

Now, she stood before them in elegant robes, with a staff in her hand that was adorned by peacock feathers. Her black hair was pulled back in braids, and her eyes were lit with amusement. Annabeth was two seconds away from giving her stupid little face a major punch.

"What are you doing here?" Percy asked, but now, his expression was just like Annabeth's. Riptide was in his hand.

Hera sighed. "I'm not actually here. This is just an image of me, talking to you, giving you life saving advice. So yes, Annabeth, go ahead and try to slice my head off, but it's not going to work."

Annabeth could still try.

"What do you want?" Percy asked through gritted teeth.

"Well, I want to help point you in the right direction. We aren't supposed to interfere with quests, but if you continue heading this way, you're probably going to die, and then you'll never get to the Doors of Death."

"You couldn't have given us a 'point in the right direction' when we were fighting for our lives days ago? Or when Annabeth had to face Arachne, all by herself with a broken ankle? Oh, or how about when Annabeth and I were getting ready to fall to Tartarus?" Anger threaded Percy's voice and his sword trembled in his hand.

"You didn't need it," Hera said dismissively.

Instead of getting into a huge ordeal with her, Annabeth just said, "What do you mean that this is a trap? Daedalus is on our side, and all of his stuff is down there."

"Yes, and it has been down there for months." Hera shifted, and the image of her shimmered so that Annabeth could see through her for a moment. She materialized again. "He was working on traffic projects down here, but when the Doors of Death opened and monsters started raining havoc on everyone, he journeyed back to the Underworld to be with his son and keep him safe. I only know that because Hermes told me. If you go down there, the monsters will see you and then you'll be down for."

"And why should we trust what you say?" Annabeth shot at her with a quiet, direct voice.

She opened her mouth to reply, but then stopped and got this thinking look on her face. Finally, she said, "You honestly have no reason to trust me after what I have done to you, I'll admit that. But we have a common goal, so I have no reason to do anything to you."

Well… that was true.

"Now, I hate to tell you this, but you may want to head this way." She pointed back to where they had come from.

"Are you kidding me? You couldn't have told us that when we were back there?"

"I see what you guys see pretty much. I know what you guys know. But I would follow that screaming that you guys heard." Annabeth groaned. She'd known there was something different about that screaming.

"Will that lead us to the Doors of Death?"

"No."

"Way to be frank," Annabeth muttered. She could hear the stomping footsteps of the monsters behind her. It sent shivers down her back. "If it doesn't lead us to the Doors of Death, then what use is it doing that?"

"I don't know where the Doors of Death are, but you'll probably find help there. Wherever there are others, there is usually help, and no offense, but you guys need some help."

"We've realized," Percy said with no enthusiasm.

"Also, in those tree over there are some motorcycles and four wheelers. They belonged to the people that worked down here with Daedalus. You get some cool benefits from doing construction like this. They hid their things up here because if a monster got hold of it, then that wouldn't be very good for their reputation and would cause quite a disturbance."

No more walking. Annabeth needed to get there now.

"I'm afraid that's all I can tell you, because that's all that I know. But you don't have much time left. You have to stop Gaea from rising again, and that only way that will happen is if the Doors are shut. Tityos has risen too, and this war between the Greeks and Romans is only making him stronger. He lives and breathes war, literally. That is all I know."

"Well, we shouldn't just stand here then. We need to get a move on."

Hera nodded and began to fade away. "We Olympians will be in your debt. You are doing us a great service."

"And if we die?" Percy asked jokingly.

Hera took it seriously. Her body was gone, and only her voice remained.

"Then you will die heroes."

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**Review Challenge: What grade are you leaving right now, as school is ending/ended? For me, it's 8th. **

**Reviews/Ideas are loved! ****Please review. They make my day a whole lot better.**

**-BBH**


	40. Chapter 40: Jason

**Oh my… the story is coming to an end in a few chapters…:) I actually wrote the entire ending during the English Final, when I was bored out of my mind and dying a slow, painful death. **

**Sorry for typos/OOCness. **_**End of school countdown: 4 and a half days…**_

**Happy Reading!**

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Chapter 40

Jason

Jason felt like he'd just fought a giant and it had kicked his butt.

He had, however, just watch his old friend Reyna's mother, Bellona, torture his sister without even laying a finger on her, and then watched Bellona go head to head with Taygete, who was still back there fighting the Roman goddess of war.

Jason had always thought of Bellona as a pretty cool goddess, because Reyna had always been one heck of a fighter. He had always thought that it would be cool to have Bellona as a mother. How wrong his judgment had been. Bellona was one bad cookie.

He wished Coach Hedge was there. He would've put up one heck of a fight with his baseball bat.

The group of them sprinted through the woods as the sounds of Taygete and Bellona's battle raged on behind them. Jason tried to calm down the terrible storm but nothing would happen. The best he could do was work with what was going on. He ran backwards and redirected the lightning from the sky back through the trees in a horizontal line. His friends screamed, and once it was over, he heard Bellona screamed, "Jupiter scum!"

He felt the love.

It was the least he could do, since Taygete was risking everything so that they could escape in one piece.

Jason had a terrible feeling that Taygete wouldn't be the one winning this fight, but she could still hold Bellona off just until they could get to Old Faithful. After that, everything would be okay.

"I can't believe Taygete did that," Hazel screamed through the rain as they continued to run. "She did that for us."

Thalia looked like she was crying, but it was hard to tell. Jason wanted to give her a hug but knew that it wasn't the right time. She had to be hurt, and she didn't show it. She had retrieved her bow and arrows. But in that moment, Thalia sounded furious. "News flash, Hazel," she said. "She didn't do it for me or for you. She did it because she believes that we are the best hope for the survival of the Olympians."

"I-I didn't mean it like—" Hazel tried to say, but Frank was at her side. He put a hand on her shoulder, silencing her with one quick touch.

They ran for quite some time after that in silence, but Jason was close enough to Thalia that he could hear her mumbling. He could've sworn that he heard her say something like, "Egotistical Romans." He narrowed his eyes at her. It was annoying that she was kind of prejudiced against the Romans, which were his people, but he understood why. Camp Jupiter had attacked her friends, and she was defensive.

Suddenly, the entire forest opened up, and they were on a road.

They all stopped, unsure of where to go from there on out. Piper looked down the road and jumped. "I got an idea." Jason followed her gaze and his eyes met a giant van that sort of looked like a Mystery Machine rip off. What was she getting at?

Piper ran into the middle of the road, right in front of the car. She started waving her arms and jumping up and down. The driver slammed down on the brakes so hard that Jason heard squeaking. He couldn't react fast enough to push her out of the way, but she seemed like she had everything under control.

The construction van stopped not five feet from her. "Should we go out there with her?" asked Jason.

"I think your girlfriend can handle this," Frank said earnestly, and they just waited from the safety of the trees.

Jason could hear the entire conversation. "Are you okay?" the man asked worriedly. Piper was still beautiful, but she was scratched up and covered in mud. Plus, she was soaking wet and shivering from the rain. It was pretty convincing that she was not okay.

Piper moved to the side, and Jason saw the man. He looked like he was in his late fifties with a huge beard and jean overalls. In other words, he looked a like a total creeper, with a van included. "No, sir, I'm not okay at all." And that was when Jason realized Piper's plan.

Her voice was laced with charmspeak.

Even from his spot on the side of the road, Jason could see the man's eyes clouding over from the power. "Well, is there anything I can do to help?" He spoke as if he were in a trance or an eidolon had taken over his body.

"Actually there is a lot that you can do to help," Piper told him. "Do you mind if we take your car from you? We've been traveling on our feet for a long time now, and we were almost killed a few minutes ago, so you're car would help us out a lot." The charmspeak in her voice was so heavy that Jason felt like getting up and helping her find a car.

The man didn't even ask a question about why they were almost killed. Instead, he asked, "We? Where are your friends?" Okay, he sounded like a complete creeper now.

"Please let us take your car. I promise we'll come right back with it." Now, that was a lie.

"Well, if you insist." The man got out of his car and put on a cap. He tossed Piper the keys. "I'll just go back to the old filling station. It's not too far from here… just a few miles. I should be good, so please meet me back there if possible."

"Will do, sir. Oh, and can you give us directions to Old Faithful."

"Yep. It's just up the road a little ways, but you can't miss the signs. It's quite an amazing sight, but the park is usually closed down in this kind of weather, because no one wants to look at some geyser in the rain. Are you sure that's where you wanna go? The filling station has a Golden Corral."

The second to last place Jason wanted to be at was some Golden Corral with little kids picking their noses and then sticking their fingers into some chocolate waterfall. The last place he wanted to be was anywhere within a ten mile range of Bellona, and he already was, so the faster they all got out of there, the better.

"I'm sure."

"Be careful then." The man tipped his hat and then started walking away like he didn't have a care in the world. Charmspeak could do the weirdest things.

Piper beckoned her friends over. "Who can drive?" she asked, and everyone looked at Thalia.

Thalia shrugged. "I'm not the best, but Artemis gave me makeshift lessons. I'll do my best."

Piper sat Jason sat in the front of the car with Thalia, while the other piled into the back with all of the man's tools. Once Thalia put the keys in and started driving, Jason wasn't sure if they had made the right decision, because Thalia was like a bat out of hell.

They practically flew down the road, and Jason was thankful that there weren't many cars on the road. Thalia zigzagged back and forth across the median, causing the two of them to hold on for dear life. Thalia as right; she could drive. But she definitely could not drive _well._

"Hey, the speed limit is sixty. You're going ninety!" Piper said as calmly as she could, but she sounded a little scared.

"Screw the stupid speed limit. It's either go fast or die."

"I think it's both, actually," Jason heard Leo mumble from the back. They drove on for a few minutes, and the road had no turnoffs.

"You did great out there," Jason whispered into Piper's ear and he kissed her on the cheek. She turned around and smiled at him. Right before they started to kiss, Thalia groaned. "I don't want to see my little brother making out with anyone, so please stop." They pulled away, blushing.

Jason clicked the radio on, and it was on a local new station. The reporter was saying, "Nasty weather patterns are terrorizing the locals that live near Yellowstone National Park. The pop-up storm seemed to materialize from nowhere and has been destroying property and wildlife. So far, the death count is at three civilians, all from unfortunate lightning strikes, and a forest fire has started near Lake Village. The torrential rain seems to do little to stop it."

He turned to radio off. He didn't want to hear any more of what Bellona was doing to the poor people. She was the destroyer of civilizations, and she was living up to her name.

"Did the reporter say Lake Village?" Thalia asked. Jason nodded. "Then we aren't far from Old Faithful at all!"

Soon, a sign came up that said, "Old Faithful National Geyser, 10 Miles." That caused Thalia to press down even harder on the gas. Jason prayed to his father that Thalia wouldn't cause them to crash.

Parking signs for Old Faithful came up, and Thalia made a hard turn into it. There was only one car in the parking lot, and Jason couldn't see a soul in sight. They all scrambled out of the car and ran down the worn path that had a wooden arrow sign saying, "Old Faithful Dead Ahead."

They came to a large clearing with asphalt, probably where people stood to watch the geyser as it blew up tons of thermal water. Jason almost wanted to wait until it did so again, but that wasn't a good idea. Even from where he was, Jason could see how cool Old Faithful was and why it was so popular. It had the oddest darkish sand around the very edges but then faded into a pool of crystal blue. The geyser was blocked off by warning's and railing, because only someone with a death wish would bother jumping into it and burning their skin up.

"Go, you must go," Thalia told them.

"What!" Jason exclaimed when Thalia pushed him along. "We can't just leave you here. You have to come with us!"

"I have to join my Hunters. I am their lieutenant. We have to go to Camp Jupiter, and you must go back to Epirus to the House of Hades. You and your friends must end this, once and for all." There was an explosion a few miles away, but Jason's bones rattled. He saw fire plume into the air along with trees and earth. That was no doubt caused by the goddess of war. She was getting closer.

"Thalia, Bellona will kill you!" Nico told her.

"Then so be it," she said bravely. "We all have a role to play in this war, and if that it mine, then I will fight until I can no longer do so." She spoke with wisdom well beyond her years, as if she was an entirely different person.

Jason feared for his sister's life. He couldn't lose her.

Thalia jumped on him with a huge hug that was all too quick. "I'll see you again," she promised. "I know it."

She pulled away. "Now, go be heroes."

And he watched his sister run away, back towards the woods, notching an arrow as she hit the trees, and then she was gone.

Piper tugged on Jason's hand. "We don't have enough time. We have to go."

The jumped the railing and ran straight for the geyser. The ground underneath Jason's feet seemed to feel different, but he didn't care. He would honor his sister. He would be a hero. They reached the edge of Old Faithful. Jason laced his fingers through Piper's, and they all jumped in at the same time.

The air swirled around him, hot and bubbling with the energy from underneath the earth. He tried to hold together his nausea as he fell and fell until he was sure he was going to hit the thermal waters of the geyser that would boil him up. But that sensation, thank the gods, never happened.

Instead, the world blacked out once again, and Jason knew that they were indeed inside one of the Gates. He could barely feel Piper's hand anymore, which sort of scared him, but deep down he knew that she was still there.

His back hit a very hard surface, successfully knocking all the breath out of his body. Bright spots danced in front of his vision, but the feeling of his girlfriend's hand in his own became more concrete.

"Gods…" Leo trailed off. He sounded confused and a few feet away. "I had no idea that it would take us _here._"

"Where exactly is here?" Frank asked.

Slowly, Jason's sight cleared and he sat up. At once, he knew where he was, with the endless rows of mechanical supplies and the blueprints hanging off of the wall. Scrap metals littered the floor along with old Starbucks wrappers and coffee drinks. He couldn't believe it.

"We're in Bunker 9," Leo told them. "We're back at Camp Half-Blood."

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**Review Challenge: What are your thoughts on the amazing House of Hades cover just released? To me, it is my favorite cover of any of the books. It looks outstanding.**

**Reviews and ideas are loved. They seriously brighten up my crappy life.**

**-BBH**


	41. Chapter 41: Percy

**Dear guest reviewer that keeps yelling at me for cursing: I'm just gonna be frank with you. I barely curse in this story. I know I said the F Bomb once and I've said hell before, but that doesn't give you the right to accuse me of the things you did. Don't judge, because you'll just end up offending a bunch of people, and that's not cool to me or my readers. Please don't spam me. Please quit the rage comments. **

**Sorry for typos/OOCness. **_**End of school countdown: 2 and half days…**_** and the Finals are over! Thank the gods. **

**Happy Reading!**

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Chapter 41

Percy

He didn't care if he was burning to death is Tartarus and she had the only bucket of water on Earth; Percy didn't trust Hera.

Percy and Annabeth darted from tree to tree to avoid being seen by the monsters. He could tell by the look on Annabeth's face that she'd give anything to get off her feet. But when her eyes met Percy's, she locked her jaw in a stubborn sort of way. She wasn't going to give up that easily.

He grinned at her. Even with all of the terrible fighting and whatnot going on, he was so glad that they could still have their perfect moments together, as if they were the only two people on the planet.

But he still thought back to what Hera had said. _Then you will die heroes. _

Percy really didn't want to die. The Underworld wasn't one of his vacation destinations. He knew there was pride in dying a hero and knowing that you had done all you could to save people, but still, dying wasn't really that cool. And Annabeth couldn't die, no matter what.

Of course, it was just their luck that Daedalus and his crew of jolly dead construction workers had been gone for months. He had wanted to see a nice friendly face, someone who didn't feel like killing him.

He was actually surprised that Hera told them the truth. Daedalus's workers had indeed left behind their four wheelers and motorcycles. They were hidden deep within a new part of the forest, so deep inside that there was no way any of the monsters down and the foot of the mountain would've been able to find it and used it to escape.

Unfortunately, most of the people had been smart enough to actually take their keys with them. All of the motorcycles didn't have their keys, which was the only thing Percy knew how to drive, and neither did any of the four wheelers. Percy gulped. It looked like they were going to have to go on foot.

He opened his mouth, getting ready to inform Annabeth, but she held up a hand. "Percy, I know what you're getting ready to say, but we can still use to four wheelers without the keys. They don't require them." She pointed to an on button right beside the ignition. "Just hold that down button for a few second and it should start without a problem."

"How do you know all of this?" Percy asked, but he pressed down on the button. The engine skipped and then roared to life.

"I read," Annabeth said, as if that explained everything. Percy was pretty sure she didn't read book on mechanics or vehicles, but he didn't complain. He hopped onto the four wheeler and Annabeth sat on it behind him. They both decided that they would use one instead of two because it would be less noise, and the last thing they wanted to do was attract any more monsters. The single four wheeler was making enough noise as it was.

Percy had never driven a four wheeler before and had no idea how to. Apparently, Annabeth only knew how to start them, because she was just as lost. Frustrated, Percy kicked down on the ground and then slammed his foot straight up. The foot rest jumped and hit him on the top of his foot, which hurt more than he thought it would. Only later did Percy realize that it was how he changed gears.

There was a button for his thumb that he found out to be the gas, and there were two brakes handles on either side that he could easily pull on to make the thing stop. He pushed down on the gas, and then they were off.

Automatically it was ten times faster than traveling by foot. They zoomed up the hilly mountain in no time, the moonlight guiding their way through Tartarus. Annabeth laughed with glee as she threaded her hands around his waist and hung on tight. When he turned to avoid a tree, they had to lean to the side.

It was kind of like riding a Pegasus.

Percy turned around for just a second. Every single monster at the bottom of the mountain was staring at them with envy. They were all smart enough to know that they would never catch up with them, and Percy laughed inwardly.

"This is so awesome!" Annabeth whispered in his ear gleefully. He had to agree.

They soared over the mountain and began to go down. Percy was glad that his reflexes were good, because they had to dodge through trees and the rough terrain, but the four wheeler was made for what he was doing. He just had to make sure Annabeth didn't fall off.

Out of nowhere, Annabeth screamed, "Stop!"

He slammed down on the breaks so hard that he almost sent himself flying. All of Annabeth's wait slammed into his body and they both pitched forward before he caught himself. "Whoa! What is it? Where's the monster?"

"No monster," she told him, out of breath. She leaned across him and turned the four wheeler off. "Be quiet and listen."

He didn't see why he needed to, but he did as she asked. For a minute, they just sat there, listening. Percy didn't see why they needed to, but the look on Annabeth's face said that he better keep quiet or else. So he kept his lips zipped and listened as hard as he could.

Then he heard it. The screaming. It was like a calling, showing them the way.

Annabeth pointed. "It's coming from that direction." Hera had told them to follow the screaming, and Percy still thought that was a terrible idea. Screaming equaled bad news for demigods. But if that was the only way to the Doors of Death, then they had to try. It was the only way for them to end all of this.

He started the four wheeler back up and gunned it. He went as fast as he could through the forest along the side of the mountain, thankful that they actually were the only people he could see. They drove for about an hour, not including the other hour it had taken them to get back up the mountain from the other side. Percy wondered how that scream had been able to spread throughout the entire giant forest, because after almost three hours into their journey, he still couldn't find the source.

Finally they had traveled so far in one direction that they reached almost a dead end, and Percy saw what they had been looking for.

He and Annabeth hopped off of the four wheeler. In front of them was a giant building, camouflaged so well into the side of the mountain that he could've easily overlooked it. But now that he had seen it, he could make out that the building was multiple stories tall, but it looked like an actual building, whereas Where the Lost are Revealed had looked like a creation from a child.

The place was made of sturdy concrete walls with small little windows that had bars over them. Moss and vines covered the walls, causing them to blend in with the natural scenery. The building looked old, like it had been there for many years without any renovations. There wasn't a single person in sight, not a monster or dead person. No guards. There was just a overly large gate with a huge fence surrounding the entire complex.

That scream sounded off again, and Percy shivered. They weren't alone. There was someone else there, but Percy just couldn't seem to find where the person's voice was coming from. It had to be from inside the complex… and he really didn't want to go inside.

"You think the Doors of Death are here?" Annabeth asked him, and her voice just seemed to echo on and on.

"It seems like they're trying to keep someone out," Percy observed, and Annabeth gave him a _No Duh_ look. "I mean, it's like they're trying really hard. It seems like the kind of place that the super dangerous Doors of Death would be." The only problem of getting inside was the giant fence. Was it electrified? Percy didn't really want to find out.

Annabeth and Percy walked up to the fence, which even camouflaged itself a little bit. Cautiously, Percy set one finger against the chains, and breathed a sigh of relief when it didn't crisp him in a barbecue.

They went to the small gate, and Percy leaned his hand against it. It opened to his touch, with no lock on it or anything. "Bad security system," Annabeth murmured, observing the building with wide gray eyes. "This is kind of spooky. We hear screaming from the place but there's not a person in sight, and the gate just opens up with no problem. This is a little too much like Where the Lost Are Revealed , and you know that ended."

"I really don't like this…" Percy said quietly as he and Annabeth stepped inside. There was no door on the building, just a gaping hole of darkness giving off a stench so putrid that Percy's eyes started watering. He plugged his nose and coughed. "What the heck is that?"

Annabeth gagged. They walked inside of the building, and she turned on her flashlight. Percy's stomach turned over when he found the source of the smell.

There was a rotting arm on the ground, covered in flies and maggots, blood dried on the hard ground around it. Percy half expected the arm to start twitching or something, but that would just be too weird. Still, they backed away from it slowly and ignored the buzzing sound as they passed it in the hallway.

The flashlight did little to help them. The entire first floor of the place was bare and clear of life. He felt like he had just walked into an insane asylum. But the place was far from clean. In every single one of the twenty rooms on the first floor, there were blood stains. In some of the places, there were even puddles of fresh blood, golden ichor.

The screaming went off again. It was a scream of terror and pain. Percy heard the sound of leather against skin, like a whip, and the screams turned into whimpers. Hera had said that the screaming would help them, and the screaming was coming from up above.

His took Riptide out and Annabeth held her knife in her other hand. They went to the old wooden staircase, and the steps creaked as they went up. Percy sucked in a quick breath and hoped whatever was up there wouldn't hear them.

Once on the second floor, they heard the screaming again. It was coming from that floor, just down the hall. Percy started to hear multiple voices. They spoke in hushed whispers, so low that he couldn't make out what they were seeing. Percy and Annabeth pressed their backs to the wall and Annabeth clicked off the flashlight. There had to be a window at the end of the hallway, or perhaps some in the rooms, because there was a faint light illuminating the hallways.

Percy turned to Annabeth and counted silently. _One… two… three._

They jumped out, weapons ready to fight off any monsters or foes that stood in their way. None did.

Instead, they seemed to be in some sort of prison. Percy's instincts told him to fight, but there was nothing to fight, because all of the monsters, the many surrounding him and Annabeth, were unable to reach them. They were all behind bars.

The crazy part was that Percy recognized some of them. The Empousa Kelli and her friend Tammi were in cells next to each other staring through the walls like they could see each other. When Percy walked past them, they didn't even acknowledge him. Through the bars, they looked so small and not threatening at all. Percy should've been happy. He wanted to yell, "In your face!" But he couldn't, because that would've morally been wrong.

"What is this place?" Annabeth asked quietly, like she was afraid of being overheard. Not that it mattered. None of the monsters seemed to care.

"Some sort of prison, I think…" Percy told her. "I think it's for the monsters that the gods fear the most." Just to prove his point, the Minotaur stood in the next cell. His loincloth was dirty and his two good horns poked up. The Minotaur had been the second monster Percy had ever killed. When he saw him, he huffed miserably.

"It must be a high security one too." Annabeth tapped on the bars. "They don't have good security outside of the place because all of the protection is in these bars. They're made with a combination of Imperial Gold and Celestial Bronze, I think. It should be impossible to break these."

"I guess the gods wanted to make sure that the super bad monsters didn't escape through the Doors of Death." Percy then spotted the Nemean Lion, pacing back and forth restlessly. It yawned loudly and stretched, glancing at Percy and Annabeth before deciding to ignore them, because even the Lion knew that trying to hurt them wouldn't get him anywhere.

The screaming girl at the end of the hallway shrieked, "Let me go! I haven't done anything." Her voice sounded hoarse, and Percy knew it was from all of the yelling.

Tammi then spoke, sounding tired and exasperated. "Just shut up already."

"Let me out!" Apparently, the person wasn't going to listen.

"I said shut up!" Tammi hissed, her mismatched body shaking. Everyone was quiet, including Percy and Annabeth, because they heard other footsteps above them, walking around. "I don't want to be tortured anymore today, thank you very much." She sounded scared, and if Tammi the crazy cheerleading monster was scared, then Percy knew that they had the right to be scared too. Whoever this person was didn't seem too good. Percy looked over at the Minotaur and he was pretty sure the monster was wetting himself.

Percy still couldn't believe that the monsters were ignoring him and Annabeth, so they walked to the end of the hallway to talk to the screaming girl. With any luck, she'd be able to point them in the right direction of the Doors of Death, and they would be able to close them and get out before this torturer could catch them.

The girl was beautiful and achingly familiar, even though Percy couldn't see her face. But she was covered in blood and had whip lashes up and down her body. Her white robes were dirtied, bloody, and torn to shreds. It was hard to make out her exact features in the dim light.

Percy cleared his throat. "Um, excuse me—"

The girl jumped to her feet, and her hand shot through the bars like she hoped to hit him. He jumped back and caught her hand to keep it from connecting with his face. "Get away from me," the girl said in a low voice, and then she stopped. She lifted her head and gazed at Percy with huge, curious eyes. Once upon a time, Percy had seen those eyes, right when he had awoken from what he had though was certain death.

"Oh my… Perseus, is that you?" She looked at him expectantly, knowingly. Annabeth stared at her like she was crazy, but she wasn't, because Percy did actually know her… but she couldn't be in Tartarus. She was too good for that, wasn't she?

"Calypso?"

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**So the question is: why is Calypso in Tartarus, if that even is her? Review challenge: What's your favorite Disney cartoon movie? My favorite is Meet the Robinsons and all of the movies they made in the 1990's, like Mulan, Hercules, Pocahontas, The Lion King, Aladdin, etc.**

**Reviews and ideas are loved! They brighten my life up a lot!**

**-BBH**


	42. Chapter 42: Nico

**3,000 reviews… Oh. My. Gods. I never, ever thought I'd reach this number. Not in a million years. Thank you all so much for the amazing support. Big shout out to **_**horse-crazy girl13**_**, who kept reviewing my story until I reached this wonderful number. Hope, you are so awesome! Thank you to all of my readers, because without you, I don't know what I would be doing. **

**Sorry for typos/OOCness. This is fast paced, so sorry. Also, school is out now! And… Happy Birthday Mom! Her birthday was yesterday, and she's in Banff, Canada right now on vacation. I'm staying with McKenzie (The girl I wrote Sixty Seconds with). She says, "Hey," to everyone. **

**Happy Reading!**

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Chapter 42

Nico

They were at _Camp Half-Blood._

Immediately, a rush of memories flooded Nico's mind. He'd first arrived at the camp when he was ten years old, and his sister had chosen to stay with the Hunters. He had only stayed at the camp for a little while before leaving to be on his own, because the camp had never felt like home to him. After the Titan War he had built a cabin, but he only came to the camp sometimes, because at the time, no one knew that he was switching between the Greek and Roman camp.

Nico had only heard of Bunker 9 from his short visits to camp. Never had he been inside of it, but he knew it was one of the bunkers left from the Civil War, and it was where Leo had spent months building the Argo II, which was still in Greece.

"We need to find the new Gate," Hazel said. "Maybe it's somewhere at Camp Half-Blood. You guys show us the way." Unfortunately, this wasn't a sightseeing trip for Hazel and Frank.

"That may be a small problem," Jason told her, his shoulders falling down like he just felt down with everything.

"What do you mean?" Frank asked.

"He means that Camp Jupiter and Camp Half-Blood are currently at war with each other outside," Nico informed them. With everything going on, it was easy to forget that small little situation. "We have something just as important to do before finding the Gate."

"What's more important than closing the Doors of Death and rescuing Percy and Annabeth?" Piper asked.

"Keeping the Romans and Greeks from destroying each other," Nico said. _"'At the End Of Battle's Foretold Strike, The Two Enemies Will Fight To Unite_.' They've been fighting, but it's up to us to make a truce between them. We'll need both sides when we have to face Gaea and the Giants."

"'_The Giant Stalks the Six Waiting For War'_," Leo quoted. "That means Tityos has been watching us while we waited for the war… this war. Not the _big_ big war. The war between the Romans and Greeks. He's probably here. Thalia and Taygete think this is a really big deal, and they were willing to risk their lives to make sure we got here. I bet the prophecy also means that he's getting stronger because of the war. The destruction probably helps him, like Bellona. He's going to rise if we don't stop this."

At the mention of Thalia and Taygete, Nico wondered what happened to them. Were they okay?

The six of them walked through the aisles and out of the bunker. Once outside, Nico immediately heard the sounds of a raging battle. He saw smoke rising from the camp and heard battles cries in Latin and Ancient Greek. Nothing was going on in the woods, but he could only imagine what the fight was like. It was sunset, and the sky was bleeding with colors. But clouds were drawing in. It was going to rain any minute.

They all prepared their weapons. Leo, thankfully, had little bottles of nectar in the bunker and bags of ambrosia, and they all divided it up equally among themselves. After they were ready, they all looked at each other, not sure what to say. What sides would they choose? They were all traitors of Rome, but for Jason, Hazel, and Frank, that was their home turf. They were Romans. They were supposed to be fighting with them. For Nico, Leo, and Piper, they were supposed to side with the Greeks.

"What do we do to stop them from killing each other?" Frank asked, shaking his head and running a hand through his short hair. His other hand was idly playing with a bow.

"I wish Grover were here to cause a Panic," Nico said unconsciously. Everyone looked at him, not knowing what he meant. He explained, "During the Battle of the Labyrinth, a friend named Grover did this thing called a Panic that made everyone stop fighting."

"I wish we could do that," they all started mumbling.

"Okay," Jason started. "We're going to half to split up. Since Frank, Hazel, and I are Roman, we will go to their side to try and speak to Reyna. I think she still trusts me, or at least I hope. They'll listen to her if she tells them to stop. We'll just need to convince her."

"What about Octavian?" asked Leo. "He'll definitely say no to whatever we say and try to kill us."

"We will just have to take care of him the hard way, I guess. I think he deserves a good knock to the head." Jason smiled wistfully. "And you guys will have to talk to Chiron or Clarisse or someone who's a good camp leader that they'll listen to."

"That's Percy and Annabeth," Nico told Jason. "They were the camp leaders. Now they're both gone. I don't think they have a leader. I think they all just have a common goal, and that's to defend their home. Chiron doesn't like to fight that much, but they'll listen to him. We'll try to go get him."

"You guys, is splitting up really the best way to do this?" Piper interjected. "We're stronger together than we are apart. Splitting up never solves anything." And Nico was pretty sure every single one of them started thinking about Percy and Annabeth, still in Tartarus.

"It's the only way," Jason said. Nico rolled his eyes, because the Romans were so stubborn.

They began to say their farewells. Piper and Jason kissed and then got in a group hug with Leo. Frank and Hazel were exchanging hushed words with each other. Nico felt like the biggest loner in the entire world. He hung back from the rest of them, thinking about the fight. Some of them could die during this. He could die. Even the prophecy predicted it. But he couldn't let his fear get the best of him.

If he went down, he would do so fighting.

Hazel came up to him and gave him a big hug. "Good luck, Nico," she whispered. "We'll see each other after this. I know it."

But there was still that part of his mind that asked questions. What if one side overpowered the other? Then they would all be goners. How would they ever be able to get to the House of Hades if they never escaped this war? How would Percy and Annabeth ever be safe? How would the Doors of Death be closed?

Would Nico be able to keep his promise to Percy and lead them there?

Nico left before everyone else did. He started through the woods and didn't turn back around to look at any of his friends. No nature spirits or satyrs roamed around, which was different. He didn't even see a single monster. But the scary part was that he didn't see any Romans or Greeks, and he knew they were there.

Once he reached the edge of the woods, he saw the war.

The Romans, being Roman, we lined up in perfect lines, weapons poised to attack, and they were attacking. But the Greeks were attacking from all different directions using guerilla warfare. Nico saw some of the Apollo campers hiding in tight places shooting arrows at the enemy.

The numbers of people fighting was enormous. His jaw dropped as he saw how far back the lines of soldiers stood, disappearing into numerous buildings. The arena was practically overflowing with people, all of which were fighting. Camp Half-Blood was becoming the killing fields.

This was going to be a lot harder than any of them had thought.

Nico took off running, dodging people but never attacking, because he couldn't act like the enemy. He heard people cry out curses at him and some of them even tried to attack, but Nico was fast. He side stepped and weaved in and out of the hand to hand combat.

One of the Romans spotted him. Nico didn't recognize who the person was, but he held a lance in his hands and definitely wasn't afraid to use it. Fortunately, he wasn't that good, but did put up one big fight. Nico brandished his sword and it met the spear after the Roman made a battle cry.

The opposing person slashed at him viciously but with poor skill. Nico wasn't the best swordsman, not by far, but he had trained in the Underworld for a while and at both camps. Nico only blocked at first, because fighting was the right thing to do. This was all about making peace, not making enemies. And Nico was Greek.

But the Roman was unrelenting, with his continuous jabs and cuts that never landed on Nico but came darn close. Nico was sick of it. He had enough to do as it was. This one person was not on his priority list. Nico swiftly disarmed him with a twist in his weapons. The lance flew away from them both and into a bush. The Roman boy faced him. "You, Greek, have—"

"We have no reason to be fighting," Nico said as calmly as he could. "Find Reyna and tell her she needs to stand down. This has all been a misunderstanding."

He shook his head with rage. "Lies. All Lies. Octavian has told us what you savages do. You and your brothers will die for attacking New Rome."

Nico rolled his eyes and brought the hilt of the sword down on the boy. He fell to the ground, unconscious. He hadn't hit him hard enough to cause serious damage, but hard enough for him to be out for a while. It would definitely bruise. Nico shook his head and stepped over the fallen body as he continued to fight his way away from the woods.

There was a good chance that if Chiron wasn't doing archery some place, he was in the Big House. Nico was only at the very edge of the woods, and there was an entire army between him and the Big House. This was going to take a whole lot longer than he had hoped. And he was going to have to check every stupid building to make sure Chiron wasn't in any of them.

Nico ran into the arena, which was crumbling on one side. The foundation had been destroyed from battle. Nico caught a glimpse of some of the Venus and Mercury kids fighting in there. The Venus campers were way better fighters than any of the Aphrodite kids, that was for sure. They made perfume and curling irons into some serious weapons. One of the girls from the Fifth Cohort, a small girl named Lillian, was in a brutal fight with Katie from the Demeter Cabin.

No one had noticed him yet, and he wanted it to stay that way. He watched Katie and Lillian's fight out of the corner of his eye. Katie was making flowers grow to trip Lillian and vines appear to tie her up. Lillian, being a daughter of Mercury, however, was fast and agile. It was an equal fight.

He scanned the crowd once again, but there was no Chiron. Sighing, he turned and ran off.

He stopped when he heard laughter just as the first drops of rain began to fall. A face formed from the water in front of him, and Tityos was there, taunting him as he had many times before. Even in the rain, he looked civilized. He was rising; that was why he was happy. Nico slashed his sword, and the image was gone, but Tityos wasn't. His spirit was lurking around the camp, and Nico could feel it.

A majority of the fighters were in the cabin area, so Nico headed over there first. As he ran, he saw two Pegasus blur past him. Reyna was riding on her own, and Jason was going after her. Nico wondered where briefly where he had gotten the ride from. Jason was trying to explain everything to her, but she was taking none of it.

Off in one direction, Nico saw mounds of dead people. Probably around a hundred. They all were bleeding and creating streams of their blood. Bones popped out in all different directions, and people just ran over the bodies like they didn't even care. He was disgusted. Being a son of Hades, he believed in honoring the dead, especially the fallen soldiers. They were just being ignored now.

Once he reached the cabins, he was astonished to see what he saw.

The Romans had a catapult. They clearly hadn't shot anything out of it yet, because it was being set up, but it was huge. It had to be big enough to take out a large cabin or part of the Strawberry Fields. Around the catapult, the Greeks and Romans fought on. Nico had a feeling that most of them didn't even know what they were fighting for, which made the war pointless.

The catapult was being loaded after a minute, and Nico's jaw dropped when he saw their ammo.

The explosive boulders from the Hecate cabin.

NOT GOOD AT _ALL_! Those things, if launched could destroyed the entire camp, but the Romans had no idea, and they sure wouldn't listen to Nico if he told them that. They were like mini magical nuclear bombs. They'd probably think it was a good thing.

And then, he saw people launching Greek Fire at each other. That stuff would spread and not stop, but they were getting desperate. Reyna's Pegasus had landed and she was fighting head on with Jason just a few yards away. There was still no Chiron in sight. Nico saw smoke rising from the fields covered in the dead soldiers. So many had already died. He heard screams as the entire arena caved in, right in front of his eyes. There were so many people in there.

Leo was running by, trying to fight off three people all around him by shooting flames in different directions. Piper was using Katoptris as best as she could, and using a lot of charmspeak, but that only went so far. People only stopped fighting for a short period before doing so again. Frank was shooting arrows in all different directions, nailing people to walls and to the ground but not hurting them. Hazel rode by on a horse that he had never seen before, and it went so fast that one minute it was there and the next it was gone to the other side of the cabins.

The Greeks battled the Romans. People died. Tityos was only getting stronger.

This was all in a minute or less.

The rain started to pour even harder, and the winds came off of Jason as he held back the swarms of people that tried to attack him. Hazel rode around on her horse, but with so many people it was hard. Soon enough, the campers, both Roman and Greek, were attack the horse and pulling it to the ground. Frank had changed into a Rhino and was mowing down people as gently as he could. People launched flaming arrows at him. Piper's charmspeak was becoming futile. Leo was running out of stamina, and the flames that licked over his body were getting weaker.

Two people attacked Nico, both of them unrecognizable. He didn't know if they were Greek of Roman, but they clearly both just wanted to attack him. He kicked out and swept out the girl's legs from underneath her. From the ground, she shot an arrow at him, but it only grazed the side of his shoulder. With all of the adrenaline, he barely felt a thing.

The guy did a ninja flip and his feet met Nico's stomach, and he flew backwards. He landed on his back and the air left his stomach. He rolled over on his good shoulder and hit the guy in the knee with his sword. He cried out, and Nico disarmed the guy quickly as he could no longer stand. But those two were going to recover swiftly and they weren't the only ones after him.

"We must stop fighting!" he tried to tell them. "I'm on your side!"

The catapult was getting ready to fly. People were dropping down dead. The two armies had swarmed into the cabin area now. Hardly any of them fought anywhere else. Everything was going on here, and it would all have to stop there. There was no Chiron anywhere to stop anything. Even if Reyna decided to believe them, how would she be able to stop the entire army? Half of them were loyal to Octavian and wouldn't stop until someone forcefully made them. His friends were trying to stay alive. And only Nico would be able to stop it.

He said a silent prayer to his father. _Don't fail me now._

He sunk to his knees and shoved his hands in the ground, Gaea's territory, the ground from which Tityos was trying to rise. He felt this build up of power inside of him, ready to burst at any moment. He just needed to know where to send it to, and he sent it into the ground.

Energy shook the ground and sent tremors through it. And earthquake began. People screamed and cried, but he blocked those sounds out because they all needed to stop fighting and this was the only way. The earthquake caused the people to fall to the ground because they weren't stable enough on their feet. Other buildings fell to the ground. People covered their bodies with fear. The two different types of campers no longer cared who was next to them. They just wanted to stay safe.

It wasn't only the earth power that scared the campers, but it was the other power that Nico had released. He had released dark energy, the kind that radiated off of the dead. It was the kind of power that kept people away from graveyards and made them cry at funerals. It was why horror movies scared people and why death was such a terrible subject.

Not only had Nico released an earthquake, but he had released a Panic of his own, a power that he had never used before.

He called it Terror.

Nico didn't really know what he was doing. He was acting on some instinct that ran deep in his bones. A small voice in his head was telling him what to do. Maybe it was his father, Hades. He could only imagine what people were seeing. Their worst nightmares were probably coming to life as if Phobos were standing right in front of them. He tried to send out a message to the people with the images.

He showed them their fighting, and then what would happen if they kept on fighting. He showed them a terrible giant rising from the ground and killing them all. He showed them Percy and Annabeth, fighting their way through Tartarus. He showed them his own memories from his time in Tartarus, or at least the few parts he could remember. The images were horrifying, because if they did keep on fighting, it was going to be the exact same way. That was Terror.

No one was fighting anymore. There was no screaming. And so Nico pulled away from the ground, and his power stopped. Immediately, he felt woozy, but he stood up anyway. None of the people had recovered, but that was okay. They would all need a minute. So Nico leaned against a nearby column and tried to get his head to stop spinning.

When some of the people started to stand up, Nico raised his voice loud enough for the many people to hear. "I have shown you what will happen if this fighting continues. To defeat Gaea and the Giants, we must join our forces. We will be stronger that way. A rivalry between the Greeks and Romans is out of the question right now. Here I am, Nico di Angelo. I have lived in both camps and have been accepted in both camps. We must except each other and try to not destroy each other. You must all join together and prepare to head to Greece. There is a giant battle ahead, and we will need all of our fighters. We cannot afford for another person to die."

Nico could feel the power behind his own words. Maybe he had developed some sort of charmspeak like Piper.

"We must work together and sort out our differences, just for a short time. If we don't, then they have already won. Gaea will rise and some really bad stuff will happen to all of us, which isn't cool. Stop fighting, just for a little while, and let us explain what has happened."

He looked at all of the people. Thankfully, none of them had been too hurt by the earthquake that he had caused. Besides scrapes and cuts and a few broken bones, Nico couldn't see any really bad injuries. But they were all kind of jumpy from the Terror he had just released. They would probably be that way for a while.

The campers began to stand up, and thankfully, none of them were fighting. They all looked tired. He wondered how long they had been fighting each other. Probably a couple of days, and they probably hadn't rested that much during that time. Then, they moved to sides. Greeks on one side, and Romans on another. They faced each other. Reyna stood in the middle of them, and so did all of his friends. Nico went to join them.

Once he got there, they all looked shaken and a little... he couldn't place what they felt. But they backed away from him when he got close. He brushed it off because he had no reason to try and make them feel any better. That wasn't his job.

"Reyna," he started. "You have already lost so many of yours fighters. We have lost many of ours. Let's call a truce. It is the most noble thing for both of us to do right now."

He watched Reyna consider what he was saying. She looked like she didn't want to believe it but was slowly understanding how dire the situation was. But before she could even say anything, one person started running towards them, screaming not to attack. Bright red hair clashed with an orange Camp Half-Blood t-shirt, and she was wearing paint-splattered jean shorts.

Rachel Elizabeth Dare.

She ran right up to Nico and grabbed his arm urgently. "Hello Romans. My name is Rachel. Don't kill the messenger, please. I have an announcement to make," she said loudly. She was lucky that no one was attacking her.

Rachel gripped Nico's arm, even though he was trying to shake her off. She needed to get out of there. She was no fighter, and she wasn't even wearing any sort of armor. But her large eyes were insistent. "What is it Rachel? We're kind of busy right now."

"Everything has changed!" she exclaimed, throwing her hands into the air. "I was in my cave, and I had this vision of Tityos, standing in this camp. I could only see his head, but slowly he was rising out of the earth, while we all fought around him. We must stop the fighting before he does rise." Before Nico could even explain to the Romans who Tityos was, Rachel began to. She told them all about the giant and explained how wars only made him stronger, and if they joined together and stopped fighting, he would never rise.

When she was done, Reyna shook her head. "We have no reason to believe anything you say. You are a Greek, therefore you are an enemy to New Rome." But she looked really nervous, and her voice had been shaking. She seemed like she wanted to believe Rachel, but she wanted what was best for her people, and she had no idea what that was anymore.

Rachel put up one finger, as if to explain, and collapsed.

It was out of nowhere, and Nico barely caught her before she connected with the ground. "What is wrong with her?" asked Reyna. The Roman campers began to look a little freaked out, but none of them attacked. The Greek campers all knew what was going, because they had seen it before.

The red-head shot to her feet and out of Nico's arms, but green mist started to poor out of her mouth and cocoon her body. Everyone, even Nico, backed away. "Rachel is the Oracle," Nico explained. It was all that needed to be said. The Roman's didn't fight the knowledge because it was clear. Even Rachel's eyes were glowing as she started to speak.

But she didn't speak a prophecy. She spoke with the knowledge of the past Oracles. There were multiple Rachel's talking at the same time. _"The place you seek shall not be found. The House of Hades will end the bloody battle, but start a new one soon after. 'The House of Hades Holds the Key, To Destroying the World and Restoring Peace.' The House of Hades is gone. It is a monster."_

"Rachel, what do you mean?" asked Piper. Nico hinted some charmspeak. "We must find the House of Hades. It is in Epirus, like Nico told us."

"_NO!"_ The scream the tore through Rachel sent shivers down Nico's back. _"The House of Hades comes with a curse. There must be a sacrifice made, and the one to die will never even reach the House of Hades, for it is in no mortal land. No person who walks this land shall reach the House of Hades. The Doors of Death lie in the ancient tombs of Epirus, not in the cursed House of Hades."_

"But wasn't that part of the prophecy?" What was she saying? Nico was so confused, but every memory from his time in Tartarus seemed to be on the tip of his tongue. He just couldn't find them. "Rachel, where is the House of Hades?"

"Wait!" Reyna said. "What prophecy? The Prophecy of Seven?"

And so, before Rachel answered Reyna's question, for the Roman camp had never heard the prophecy.

_"The House of Hades Holds the Key  
To Destroying the World and Restoring Peace.  
At the End of Battle's Foretold Strike  
The Two Enemies will Fight to Unite.  
The Giant Stalks the Six Waiting for War  
The Earth Mother Haunts at the Doors."_

_"For Though the Eight May Stay  
There Is One too Many for Giant's Decay  
Fire and Ice will Oppose the Threats  
Made By Man Who Conquers All Death  
Lost in the Wind as Whisper's Tell  
The Ghost King Will Forever Reign in Hell."_

Then, she turned and faced Nico. "_It is not in Epirus,"_ she hissed. _"The House remains in—"_

But Rachel was cut off. One minute the Oracle was in her body, and the green smoke swirled around her. Nico blinked, and in a millisecond, the Oracle wasn't in her body. Instead, a sharp, metal arrow was.

Someone had shot Rachel, right in her stomach.

Everyone gasped. Nico knew no Greek would dare try and kill the Oracle, so he immediately turned to the Romans. None of them had their weapons raised. They seemed to be in just has much shock. None of them even held bows. But he searched the entire area until his eyes landed on the one person with stringy blonde hair and too big clothes. His bow was still raised from the recently made shot.

Octavian smirked down at the bleeding body of Rachel, his victim.

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**This chapter took me a while to write (4000+ words). I hope you all liked it, and that it is worthy of 3,000 reviews. I tried my best. Review Challenge: Who are your favorite Youtubers? Mine are PewDiePie, NigaHiga, Smosh, JennaMarbles, HowToBasic, ShaneDawsonTV, ERB, BadLipReading, and many others (listed on profile).**

**Reviews and ideas are loved. They help me out so much, more than you'll ever know. Plus this story is probably going to end soon. **

**-BBH**


	43. Chapter 43: Annabeth

**Check out my other stories and take the poll on my profile please! Oh, and please do the review challenge at the end. **

**Sorry for typos and OOCness. I did the best that I could with Calypso, and she is OOC because of all the torture she's been through. **

**Happy Reading!**

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Chapter 43

Annabeth

_Calypso?!_

Annabeth had always suspected that Percy knew Calypso, but she had never been too sure. She had believed that when Percy had gone missing for two weeks, many years ago, it was to Calypso's Island. But neither of them really liked to bring it up because that was always a touchy subject.

Immediately, Annabeth felt a small pang of jealousy that she hated with a passion. She couldn't help it, though. Calypso was beautiful, even in her poor and hurt state. She had caramel colored hair that cascaded down her shoulders. Her eyes were curious and she looked broken. Her Greek dress was dirtied and falling apart, and she was bleeding from the multiple cuts all over her body.

But when she looked at Percy, her eyes shown with something deep and raw.

"Percy?" she asked softly, her voice hoarse from all the screaming. "Is that really you?"

"Yeah, it's me," Percy told her, breathless. She was still gripping his hand as if it were a lifeline, and Annabeth felt like she was intruding on a lover's reunion or something like that. She felt awkward standing in the same room.

Just like they said in the myths, Calypso was beautiful, but she didn't seem as sinister as they portrayed her to be. Annabeth remember reading the Odyssey and the parts about Calypso, and she had always been described as a terrible witch keeping men on her island so that they'd marry her and stay forever.

But that couldn't be the same person. This Calypso, even though in so much pain, showed kindness and softness. When she took a step forward, she moved elegantly, as if she weren't even walking. When she smiled, her entire face changed. Just seeing Percy had done that to her. Had she and Percy… had something?

Okay, that wasn't the important thing. Hera had said that the screaming girl would help them find the way to the Doors of Death. They had found the screaming girl, and now they needed to find the Doors of Death.

Calypso was crying tears of joy. "Oh my, I can't believe it's you. I can't believe that you're here…"

And then her expression changed into fearfulness. She looked like a deer in front of headlights. She let go of Percy's hand and backed away, tripping over her own feet and shaking. The gliding steps were gone. "Perseus… you must get out of here, before he catches you too. He'll be down here in a minute for watch, and if he see's you, they'll kill you."

"Wait, Calypso," Percy protested. "Who is he? Why the heck are you in some prison? Did you do something wrong?" Percy acted like it was crazy to even think that, but Annabeth wasn't so sure. Did Percy really even know her well enough to know what was right and wrong about her? He still needed to be cautious around her. There wasn't anyone that they could trust.

Instead of answering his question, she turned to Annabeth. She studied her face for a minute, and Annabeth stared a terrible slash on her cheek that was still bleeding. Something like recognition flared in her eyes, but that was impossible because Annabeth had never met her in her life. But Calypso asked, "Are you Annabeth Chase?"

She wasn't sure how she was supposed to answer that simple question, because she still didn't trust her.

"Yeah, this is Annabeth," Percy explained to her and put an arm around Annabeth's shoulders.

Calypso gave her a small smile. "I wish we weren't meeting in this type of situation. Percy has told me so much about you, and I can see that you two have grown very close together." That smile became wistful. Perhaps she wished that it were her dating Percy, but all jealousy faded away. Percy had actually told Calypso about her.

"Likewise," Annabeth told her, but she wasn't exactly sure what to say. Calypso nodded at her understandingly. Annabeth turned away from her and looked down the dark hallway. The greenish moonlight did nothing to help them see, and the other monsters paced restlessly in their cages. The Minotaur looked so pitiful in his cell that Annabeth wanted to laugh, but she knew that it wasn't the right time.

Percy glanced back and forth between them like he wanted to explain everything to the both of them, but he never said anything. Instead, his eyes settled on Calypso, who was still in the back of her cell. She was shaking, and then Annabeth realized exactly how cold it was inside. It had to be in the forties.

"Calypso, why are you in this prison?"

She shook her head and refused to meet his stare. He repeated himself, and then she met his stare. "Gaea put all of us in this prison, because we all had affiliations with you."

He took a step back from the cage. "What do you mean?"

Calypso stood to her feet, and Annabeth noticed how malnourished she looked. She was bony and her dress was hanging on her at weird angles. Annabeth wondered how she could still be beautiful, even because of that, but she was. It did seem very out of place that someone like her would be in a torture prison, if that's what they were in. But the myths did contradict how she was acting now. Annabeth didn't know what to believe.

"Gaea started to rise just after the end of the Titan War, right after I was finally released from my prison on Ogygia. And thank you, Percy, for having me released. I ventured around, here and there, trying to become accustomed to the 21st century. One day, I do not know how long ago anymore, I was kidnapped by these monsters that died off millennia ago, which startled me even more than the kidnapping itself. They dragged me down here and stuck me in this torture chamber, and I've been down here ever since."

"I don't understand though," Annabeth said to her, because she was getting to be just as confused as Percy. "Why would you be stuck in a prison for knowing Percy? And why get stuck with all of these other monsters?"

"Hey! We can hear you!" yelled one of the monsters. "We didn't do anything wrong either. You demigods are always so assuming." And she was quickly shushed for being so loud by all of the other monsters.

"The monsters that had kidnapped me had been some that were never supposed to escape Tartarus, but since the Doors of Death were opened, Gaea had commanded them to come and find me, along with various other monsters, such as the ones that are in here with me. Some of them had still be in Tartarus and some had escaped."

Calypso came forward them and looked down the hall, trying to make sure that they were alone. "Gaea knew that those monsters that had already faced you would not be loyal to her. They would only be out to make sure that you ended up dead. As for me… well, since I am a Titan, she believed that my focus would only be to help the Titans rise once more, I suppose. And I had been a friend to you, which wasn't good so she set me in here."

"Then we have to get you out," Percy said immediately. "You've done nothing wrong. You don't deserve to be punished for just knowing me."

A watery smile flashed on Calypso's face before turning into a sad gaze. She wiped a tear off of her face, but it was soon followed by another. "Perseus, when will you ever learn that you can't save everyone?"

Percy was taken aback.

But Annabeth understood was Calypso was saying.

There was no way for them to rescue her, and she knew it for a fact. The bars were pretty much indestructible, and they didn't have a key. Even if the happened to find the key to unlock her cell, how would they be able to even save her when they could barely save themselves? She had to know that they were here for more than just a hello.

It wasn't like Percy, though, to just not try and save a friend. Personal loyalty was his fatal flaw. Percy had even tried to help people he didn't know, or enemies. Calypso, Annabeth guessed, had saved his life after the volcanic eruption he was in a few years ago. "Calypso, I can't just leave you here. You saved my life once, and I have to repay that."

"Percy, what you need to do is look at the bigger picture. I know you aren't in Tartarus for no reason at all. You must be here to try and stop Gaea, and that is the best thing that you can do. If you stop her from rising, you'll save everyone, and then I will be freed."

"Look at yourself, Calypso. You're covered in blood and hurt. Gaea's army has done that to you and they'll do worse. I know you can't die, but sometimes, there are things that are worse than death. We're going to get you out of here, I promise."

"Then that's a promise you won't be able to keep," she sighed, and she turned her back to them and sat down in the corner.

"Why were you screaming 'Let me out', if you knew you weren't going to get out?"

"Why not try?" she answered. "I meant what I said. I haven't done anything wrong, and they should let me out. I want to be out of here. I guess I sometimes hope that they will let me, but only they know how to get me out. You do not. There is nothing you can do to help me."

Annabeth decided to take measures into her own hands, because they weren't here to try and save Calypso. They hadn't even known it was her until only a few minutes ago. They were in Tartarus to seal the Doors of Death, and Hera said that she would be able to help them. They needed her wisdom.

"Calypso, we talked to Hera a few hours ago," Annabeth started off.

"Hera," Calypso spat, for the first time sounding hateful and a bit vengeful. "I've never liked that goddess."

_Join the club_, Annabeth thought. "She told us to follow the screaming, and that it would lead us closer towards the Doors of Death. We're down here because we need to close them, permanently. And you supposedly know where they are."

"It's a suicide mission," she said automatically, her voice depressed.

"What do you mean by that?"

"While they were dragging me down here, I did manage to escape once." She looked at them over her shoulder and through her hair. "I ran and ran, but I had no idea where I was going, because I've never been to Tartarus before. So, I guess I was lost, and I saw this building I decided I would hide in there from the monsters."

"What building was it? This one?" Annabeth questioned.

She didn't answer but continued on with her story. "I got lost inside of the building too, and then the Doors of Death were in front of me. They were clear, so I could see through them, but they showed a different image than the room I was in. I suppose that's the mortal side of them. But before I could even touch the Doors, there was this strange patch of earth blocking my way."

Annabeth and Percy gulped at the same time, and their hands found each other. Annabeth had a pretty good idea to what she was going to say next, and she was right.

"Gaea was rising, right in front of the Doors. I guess it was there because once she has risen, she wants to be out of Tartarus as quickly as possible. If her army has risen and is already in the mortal world, then the closest she can be right now and still have control over them is at the Doors of Death. If you want to close them, then you have to take her on first."

Percy said, "Calypso, where are the Doors of Death?"

Before she could answer, heavy footsteps sounded above them. There was shouting and a man's voice. The sound of a whip went off again, and Annabeth heard whimpering, but she couldn't make out the words that were said. The footsteps sounded again, walking down the hallway above them, and went on to the next monster.

From where she was standing, Annabeth could see Calypso's eyes dilate. "Oh no," she whispered. "He's coming back." Then she fully faced them and shot forward, gripping the bars. Her face looked gaunt. "Quickly. You must get out of here. Leave this place and don't even think about coming back, especially for me. If he catches you two you'll end up dead or in the hands of Gaea."

"Who is he?" Annabeth asked, steadying her knife in her hand.

"Orcus," Calypso answered, with a shudder.

"Who?"

Annabeth began to explain to him as quickly as she could. "Orcus was a god of the Underworld and punisher of people who broke oaths. He's a Roman god and a lot like Pluto or Hades."

"Yes," Calypso agreed. "And you must get out of here before he spots you. He won't follow you, but he has contacts that will follow you to the end. If he sends Mania and Mantus after you, then you both won't stand a chance. Please. Leave now before he spots you."

Annabeth had heard the names Mania and Mantus before, but she couldn't exactly remember who they were. They were Roman, but she didn't know what they were. But by the look on the Titan's face, Annabeth knew that they did not want to run into either of them. There was pure fear all over her, like they were the personifications of horror themselves.

"We have to know where the Doors of Death are," Percy insisted.

Then, the stairs started to creak, which could only mean that Orcus was coming downstairs to check up on the prisoners. "Hide," Calypso whispered, but there was nowhere for them to hide. All of the cells were blocked off and the hallway was rid of furniture.

"Not until you tell us where the Doors of Death are," Annabeth said. "We have to know."

The monsters all around them were shying away into the depths of their cells, pressing themselves into the corners like they were trying to melt into the walls. Calypso took a few steps back and started speaking quickly, but so quietly that Annabeth could barely hear a word she was saying.

"The Doors of Death are inside of the House of Hades," she told them. "They're in the basement of the House. It is not too far from here."

"But the House of Hades is in Epirus, Greece, and that's up there and not down here," Percy protested. He looked at Annabeth, as if wondering if she was keeping a secret from him, but she felt just as confused as he looked. Percy had told her everything that Nico had said, and he had said the House was in Epirus. "Nico told us that a while ago. The House of Hades has the mortal doors of death, but we need the ones located in Tartarus."

"Then this Nico must be wrong," Calypso told them. "The Doors of Death are in the House of Hades, and the House has always been in Tartarus. It's never been anywhere else. But… it does go by a different name, I think." And then, Calypso got this look on her face like she was thinking but couldn't remember.

The footsteps of Orcus were getting closer. One of the monsters started crying when the sound of the whip against the wall went off. The stench of blood rolled down the hallway and the moons glow made the place look very scary. Annabeth thought about all of the movies that took place in the exact same situation, and the protagonists usually ended up dead. In this case, she and Percy were those protagonists.

Calypso snapped her fingers in remembrance. "The House of Hades is also called Where the Lost are Revealed."

* * *

**BAM! Do you know how long I've been planning that little reveal right there? Well, a very long time. And I know it was all talking in this chapter, but I promise that the next Percy chapter will have some fighting in it. **

**Review Challenge: I really love you guys a lot, so I decided that I would make a bonus one-shot for you guys. What I want you all to do is choose your favorite Percy/Annabeth chapter, and I'm going to write it from the opposite person's POV (If it is Percy chapter, it'll be in Annabeth's POV, and vice versa). So your challenge is to choose your favorite Percy/Annabeth chapter and tell me which one it is in the reviews. The most popular one will be chosen, so review with your choice and it may just be chosen. **

**Reviews and ideas are still loved. There are only a few more chapters, so the reviews really do help out. **

**-BBH**


	44. Chapter 44: Jason

**Oh my Leo, I just read the first chapter of the House of Hades… *dies*And people are wondering why my chapters have suddenly gotten a lot longer than usual. Well, my goal is to have this story 50 chapters even. I've even written the final chapter, but I haven't written the other chapters yet to come. And this group hasn't even gotten back to Greece yet, and Percy and Annabeth are still in that prison. Therefore, the chapters will have to be longer so I can fit all of these things into them. **

**Sorry for typos/OOCness. It's fast paced, but I hope you'll still enjoy it. **

**Happy Reading!**

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Chapter 44

Jason

The first thing they did was put Octavian in Celestial Bronze chains.

Everyone agreed on it, Greek or Roman. Even those who had been close friends or followers of Octavian hadn't said anything as some demigods put chains around his ankles and bound his hands. "Treason!" he'd yelled at them. "This is treason. I am your augur and you have no reason to listen to any Oracle. She's a Greek! She'll be the end of us all!"

Even in ancient times it had been a crime to kill someone as prestigious as the Oracle, even if she was a Greek. Those rules still applied today, but now, it was sort of bad to kill anyone, no matter if that person could tell the future or not. It just made it a whole lot worse.

Now, Jason stood in the infirmary while the campers and Romans were being tended to by the Apollo campers that weren't dead and the ones that had decided to help from Camp Jupiter. He was huddled with his friends around Rachel's body. Thankfully, the arrow in her stomach hadn't been fatal, but she had lost a lot of blood and would need time to rest. Chiron was there too, because he was the one that had healed her. He had been fighting near the Big House, but more out of defense than actually trying to hurt them.

Camp Half-Blood didn't exactly have a prison to keep rogue augurs in, so Octavian was being heavily guarded by some of the Ares campers. He was tied to a pole outside of the bathrooms with a knife shoved up under his chin. They weren't sure if they should kill him or not.

He still had goosebumps from what Nico had done during the giant battle around the cabins. Afterwards, Nico had told him that it was called Terror and that it was the only way for them to stop fighting. The things Jason had seen had been terrible and frightening, so he understood where the name had come from. He wondered how Nico had found out he could do it.

Nico wasn't really up to talking though. After Rachel had been shot and taken to Chiron by some of the other campers, Jason and the others had followed in pursuit. Nico had been dragging along though, clearly exhausted from using the newfound power.

Lots of destruction and death had resulted from the battle. The death count was at fifty eight, and there were at least a hundred people with serious injuries. Some had broken bones and some had knives through their body. Only one good thing had resulted from the war, and that was the fact that the Romans and Greeks now saw past their differences and were working together to make sure that the fellow person was alright.

Another good thing was that Tityos had not risen from the battle, but Jason knew that it had been close. While he had been fighting, he could feel the power in the air. He heard laughing coming from somewhere that he could not place. The power was gone now, and the only thing in the air was the stench of bodies. The humid summer air didn't help with it.

Jason had yet to go outside and look at the casualties. The campers didn't have time or energy to move the bodies from the fields yet. He wanted to go out there and see if any of his friends had been killed, but just thinking that had happened made his stomach get twisted up, like he was going to be sick. Enough of his friends had been killed during the Titan War; he wasn't sure if he'd be able to handle seeing anymore dead faces.

The six of them needed to get a move on, but they couldn't until Rachel was awake. She had said that the House of Hades wasn't in Epirus, and that only the Doors of Death were. But they had to know where the House of Hades was, because if it held anyway for monsters to escape the Underworld, they would have to destroy it.

They weren't sure when Rachel was going to wake up. Her skin seemed too pale and her red hair seemed dulled. She was completely unconscious, and they couldn't do anything until she woke up.

Eventually, they dispersed and Chiron stayed with Rachel. Jason went outside to the cabin area and helped people he didn't even recognize carry in bodies on makeshift stretchers. They went around to the Tyche cabin and started carrying off the injured people around there. Blood coated Jason's well-worn shoes, and he didn't have enough time to wash it off, because helping the injured was more important.

Jason looked around, straying from the other people, trying to distinguish who was dead and who was alive. He was surprised when he heard a weak voice say, "Jason."

He turned around, and near the very back of the cabin was a kid around his age. He was buff and head curly black hair, and blood coated his chest and legs. The blood that speckled his lips was almost like the Kool-Aid that he loved to drink. It was Jason's friend, Dakota, son of Bacchus.

He rushed over to his friend and knelt down beside him. "Dakota, are you alright?" He wanted to hit himself after he said that. Of course he wasn't alright. He was covered in blood. "Don't answer that. Where are you hurt?" Jason examined him, but he was covered in so much blood that he started to panic.

Dakota said, "I think it's my leg. Don't pay attention to the blood on my shirt… I'm not hurt there, I don't think." Jason brushed his fingers over Dakota's leg, and he arched off of the ground and hissed in pain. Jason saw torn flesh and bones popping through his pants. Jason turned around and called over some people. They were two people, a Roman son of Victoria and a Greek daughter of Hypnos, who actually wasn't sleeping. They grabbed a tarp, because that was the only thing left to use.

Jason helped the carefully pick up Dakota and put him on the tarp. He was sweating and the wound was bleeding even more from all of the movement. The son of Victoria looked at Jason. "We can carry him in. You keep on looking for more survivors."

He shook his head. "This is my friend. I'll be seeing him in."

The daughter of Hypnos shrugged and they picked up the tarp and started walking towards the infirmary. Jason walked beside them. "I heard rumors about my father being in charge of this camp… is that true?"

"Well, technically it's Dionysus, and that's what I've heard. Ever since most of the gods were recalled to Olympus, he hasn't been at camp. I haven't met him yet." He didn't mention anything about what Bacchus had done against the giants, because that would just be way too much to explain.

Dakota nodded and held up his hand. Jason clasped it for a second. "Man, I'm sorry about attacking you back in Charleston. I don't know what I was thinking, going after you. I trust you and Percy, and…" Dakota trailed off, unsure of what to say.

"I don't blame you for attacking me," Jason told him. "We didn't mean to attack Camp Jupiter, but it happened and anyone who cared about their friends and family would try and stop the attacker."

"Are we still friends?" Dakota asked through gritted teeth.

"Of course," Jason said automatically.

Dakota took a deep breath, like the next words that were going to come out of his mouth were bad, but he said them anyway. "You know, the Greeks aren't as bad as I thought they were going to be."

"Glad to hear that," muttered the daughter of Hypnos. Jason grinned.

Before Jason could respond, however, they were inside of the infirmary, which was so loud from all the people that it was impossible to hear anything. The two demigods from different camps led him away to be treated and healed. Jason went back outside to observe the area and all of the people searching for survivors. He started walking to join them before someone tapped on his shoulder.

He turned around and was surprised to find Reyna standing there.

"Uh… hey," he said awkwardly.

"What are you going to do with Octavian?" she asked quietly.

"We aren't sure. Rachel isn't dead, but she did get hurt and we can't risk him hurting anyone else. So… I don't know. Maybe we'll just keep him tied there as an example to anyone who might think of hurting someone else."

"That's some prophecy the Oracle said," Reyna mumbled, almost to herself. "When it said the Ghost King, did it mean Nico? Is Nico going to be the one to die?" Jason shrugged. "Well," she continued, "I am sorry that Octavian did such a thing. We are lucky that the people didn't riot, and we are lucky that she is not dead. I suppose once you find out where this House of Hades is you all shall be leaving." He nodded.

Reyna sighed and pulled at her outfit. She was still wearing her armor over her purple shirt and jeans. Her hair was messed up and some of her medals were gone. Jason wondered where Aurum and Argentum were, as they rarely ever left her side, but he knew it wasn't the time to ask. Only about an hour ago had he and Reyna been battling head on with each other. It was the first time in his life that he had ever fought her in a situation other than training.

"Jason, sometimes I wonder about you," she said with a shake of her head. "You get yourself kidnapped and befriend the Greeks. You become an enemy of your own people and sail into the Mare Nostrum. You date a daughter of Venus… excuse me, Aphrodite. You pretty much abandon the camp that you were raised in for some people that you barely know and go off on all of the quests that could mean your certain death."

He gulped and wanted to take a step back. Reyna didn't have any weapons in her hands, but who knew where she kept them hidden. She took a deep breath and said, "But because of your choices that you have made, you have kept us from destroying each other and less people would have died in this battle if we had bothered to listen to you."

He didn't know what he was supposed to say back. Reyna put her head into her hands. "You're my best friend, Jason. You're the one I'm supposed to always count on, and yet we fought out there as enemies." She looked back up at him, and her eyes were glossy. But that was impossible, because Reyna never cried. "I know this hasn't ended today, and that our remaining troops will have to somehow find a way to get to Greece to help you and your friends, but after all of this is over… will you still be Praetor? Or are you going to move on completely from us and stay with your new girlfriend?"

Jason opened his mouth to answer and then stopped, because he wasn't sure what he was supposed to say. He loved Piper, but it was his duty to lead the people of New Rome. "Why can't I just take Piper and we both stay in New Rome and we just stay Praetors?"

Clearly, that had been the wrong thing to say, because Reyna's eyes cleared up immediately. Her sorrow was replaced with steely anger. "As much as you think that the Romans and Greeks can work together, they are only doing so because of tragedy and circumstances against the Giants. We all have a common goal, but do you think this will remain this way. We are natural born enemies." What she was hinting at was that Jason either chose the Greeks or the Romans.

When he didn't answer, she cursed in Latin. "You're choosing her over your own people."

"Wait. I haven't chosen anything yet," he told her. "I mean, Piper's my girlfriend. I love her, and she's been with me from the beginning. I can't just turn my back on my friends; we've been through everything together. I don't have to decide anything yet." Part of him wanted to tell her that the Greeks and Romans would keep working together, but he wasn't sure. Only time would tell.

"I've been with you longer than they have," she said, her voice raising. "We've been your friends longer than they have. How can you choose her over me?" And suddenly, Jason got the feeling that they weren't just talking about where he was going to live. Reyna looked around, like she was trying to make sure no one was watching them. No one was; they were all still trying to salvage bodies.

"Reyna, I—" But his words were cut off, because Reyna kissed him.

He froze, unsure of what to do. Reyna pulled back, a bright blush on her face like she couldn't believe what she had done. Jason's face felt red too. What had made her do that? Reyna stuttered, "I-I can't believe… I don't know…"

They heard footsteps behind them and they both whirled around. Jason's heart skipped in his chest. Oh gods, this wasn't happening. Not now. Not like this.

But it was. Piper was standing there, her mouth half open in shock and betrayal.

Jason wanted to tell her that it wasn't what it seemed to be, because he knew that she had seen the entire thing. He wanted to tell her that Reyna had kissed him, but his mouth wasn't working right anymore. His eyes darted to Reyna; she seemed to be in shock too. Her mouth was moving but her words her inaudible. Then, Piper's face hardened into thins lines of anger. She turned around and said, "Rachel has woken up. Maybe you two would like to join the rest of us." Her words were cold.

She started walking away, and Jason went after her. "Piper," he tried, but she just shook her head. "I don't want to talk about this right now. We have more important things to discuss." But to Jason, nothing was more important than telling her everything, but it really wasn't the place. The three of them went back into the infirmary.

When they made it to the Oracle's bed, she was indeed sitting up in bed. She had on a new orange shirt, and there were wrapping around her stomach. When Rachel moved, she winced in the pain, but there wasn't any blood leaking through the bindings. There's a tall glass of nectar beside the hospital bed. Piper, Jason, and Reyna are the last ones there. Chiron, Leo, Frank, Nico, Hazel, Gwen, Larry, and Hank.

Once they joined them, Nico was the first to talk. "Well, Rachel, we're glad you aren't dead."

"I can feel the love," she said sarcastically. "But let me guess: you want to know where the House of Hades actually is. Otherwise, you all would be long gone."

They nodded.

"It isn't in Greece. It never was. The House of Hades has always been in Tartarus."

For a moment, they just stared at Rachel, and then five of the demigods of prophecy turned and stared at Nico. He was the only one who had been to Tartarus, and he was the one who had told them that the House of Hades was in Epirus! Nico jumped when he saw their stares. He had bags under his eyes. "What? I'm an amnesiac! Don't blame me; I didn't know it wasn't in Epirus." Jason rolled his eyes.

"But the Doors of Death are in Epirus. The mortal ones are. The other side of them are in the House of Hades, which is where Percy and Annabeth are, I suppose. Now, you guys need to leave the camp and go to the next Gate of No Return that'll take you back to Greece."

Reyna and the other centurions looked confused as they didn't know what a Gate of No Return was, but there wasn't time to explain. Chiron looked understanding, but he had seen more things than anyone else; he obviously already knew what they were. "But, Rachel, we don't know where a Gate of No Return is, and we don't know if it'll even take us right back to Greece. Those things could take us somewhere like… South Africa."

"There's a Gate on Olympus," she explained after taking a sip of her nectar. "It'll take you right back to the tombs in Epirus."

"How can you be so sure?" demanded Frank.

"Because I made a painting about it. If I were in better health, I could show you."

Leo snorted. "Yes, that's a great reason to trust your judgment. You made a finger-painting that told you what to do."

Rachel looked like she wanted to slap Leo or shake him, but she couldn't get out of her bed. "My paintings are always right. During the Titan War, my paintings changed everything. They are never wrong, and I am the Oracle. Honestly, you don't have another choice. You're going to have to jump off of Olympus and it'll take you right to Epirus."

"Whoa," said Hazel. "You never said anything about jumping off of Olympus. Where is Olympus, anyway?"

"The Empire State Building," Rachel said shortly. "But really, is jumping off of Olympus that bad? You've already jumped into a geyser and a volcano."

"How do you know about that?"

"I'm an Oracle," she said, as if that explained it all. "Now, I know you guys want to help the camp and everything, but you don't have time to. Percy and Annabeth are running out of time, and you have to meet them at the Doors of Death. They must be closed at the exact same time. You six need to go to Olympus now and finish all of this." She sucked in a breath and grabbed at her stomach. They rushed to help her, but she waved them away. "I'm alright. Where is that idiot augur anyway?"

"Tied up to the bathroom pole," Piper told her. Rachel smiled a little at that.

"We can handle getting the campers to Greece," Reyna said. "You won't need to worry about that."

"I will help with this great move too," Chiron agreed. "But I don't believe that this can happen right away. This camp has faced destruction, and too many people have died. We will need rest and we will need to regroup before we do anything else. Our campers need to heal." The centaur wasn't talking that much, though. He had to be thinking about all of the students of his that had been hurt or killed.

"Remember," Rachel started. "You may have stopped Tityos from rising here, but that doesn't mean that it is the end of him. Gaea is rising in the House of Hades right now. And Nico... that prophecy. They always have double meanings, but I don't know about this one. Just stay strong and keep fighting." Nico didn't say anything in response. There was nothing to say. The prophecy said he was going to die, and Rachel was agreeing. That was pretty bad.

"How are you guys going to get to Olympus, though?" asked Gwen, changing the subject.

Jason hadn't thought about that. Calling a cab was out of question, because that would attract too many monsters that they didn't need or want. Walking would take too long. They didn't have the Argo II to fly them across through the sky. There weren't enough Pegasi in the stables; many of them were hurt after the war too. Jason didn't know if Tempest would be able to help them.

Hazel snapped her fingers. "Do you guys have a large chariot we can borrow?"

* * *

Half an hour later, they were zooming through the farms roads of Long Island with Hazel's horse, Arion, pulling them along.

Arion was super strong and super fast. Frank and Hazel rode on his back, and the others were all piled into the chariot and holding on for dear life. Whenever they passed a car, they were just a blur. Jason's skin felt like it was being pulled tight against his bones, and it hurt. But soon enough they were approaching the busy city of New York.

It had been hard for them to leave all of their friends there, but they had to trust them when they said that they would be okay. Jason was afraid that war was going to break out between them again. Reyna hadn't said a single word to him. He'd hugged Gwen and said goodbye to some of his old friends from Camp Jupiter, including Dakota, who was looking a lot better. Chiron had made sure that they had new backpacks full of clothes and supplies.

But Piper hadn't said a single word to him since Reyna had kissed him. Whenever he tried to talk to her, she just ignored him.

Hazel didn't have to tell Arion where to go, as he seemed to know without any directions.

When they reached New York, Arion zoomed in between the crazy traffic and ran stop lights. A very small part of Jason wanted to explore New York. During his time at Camp Half-Blood he was never able to leave. But this wasn't the time to be a tourist. They needed to get to Olympus.

This was going to be the first time for all of them to go to Olympus, except for Nico. He had been there during the Titan War. Jason tried to sight see, but Arion was going way too fast for him to see anything. They zoomed past Times Square, and none of the mortals even saw them. Hazel's horse was just that fast.

Her horse stopped when they reached the entrance to the Empire State Building. The four of them in the back fell off of the chariot rather than stepped off. Jason's legs felt like jello. Hazel stroked Arion's mane and fed him a piece of gold. A civilian walked passed them and said, "You can't just park your motorcycle on the sidewalks, freaks." Jason shook his head. The Mist could do the craziest things. Arion snorted at the mortal, but he didn't seem to notice.

Hazel undid the chariot and said goodbye to Arion. He zoomed off after that, and she said, "Come on." They all walked inside the building and tried to ignore the odd looks from the people all around them.

"Follow my lead," Nico whispered. They walked up to the front desk. "We need to get to the six hundredth floor."

The front-desk guy wasn't looking at him, and he answered, "There is no such thing." But when the guy looked up, he jumped back. "Oh great, more demigods in the lobby. Look, it's closed off. No one is allowed in or out, so you might as well turn around now and walk back over to your camp or whatever."

Nico slammed his hand down in front of the guy. "We don't have time for this. We aren't here to talk to any of them. We just need to jump off of Olympus."

The man blinked. "Are you mental?"

"Perhaps. Now, are we going to have to fight you or are you going to let us in?"

He gulped and tossed them the key card the hung around his neck. "I suppose you know how this works. If Zeus finds you, I didn't help you at all."

Nico smiled, and it was one of the creepiest things Jason had ever seen. "We'll see."

Nico led them around to the employee elevator. "We don't want to go through the metal detectors," he explained, and they all agreed. They went inside of the elevator and Nico inserted the key card. A new button appeared with the number 600 on it. Nico pressed it and they started going up… and up. The elevator music was terrible, like the BeeGees or something like that. Jason's stomach got butterflies. He was getting ready to go to Olympus, just to jump off of it. How messed up was that?

_Ding_. The doors opened, and Jason's mouth dropped.

There was a small walkway with no railing. Clouds were around them, and a giant city in the mountains was in the sky. Palaces made of marble and gold were everywhere. Giant fountains and temples were everywhere. Fires burned and crackled while forests grew beside the winding roads. There were open markets with colorful tents and signs. There were statues, coliseums, and hippodromes. The place was magnificent, but unfinished. Buildings weren't completely built yet. Annabeth had never had a chance to finish. And the scary part was that there was no one outside.

Olympus was silent and empty.

"This is amazing," breathed Hazel. "This is like a dream."

"Too bad we aren't on vacation," sighed Nico. "We gotta jump."

Jason turned to Piper and held out his hand, but she turned away, grabbing onto Nico's and Hazel's. Jason felt a pang of jealousy and hurt, but he brushed it off. They all linked arms and hands and walked to the edge of the bridge linking the building and Olympus. All they had to do was jump and hope that Rachel's prediction was true. But he looked down. It was a LONG way to the road below them.

He turned his head and looked at Olympus. He hoped that if he survived all of this, he would be able to return someday as a hero. He hoped he wouldn't return just because they needed someplace to take his body.

They took one huge collective breath. "Three… two… one."

And then, they jumped.

* * *

**Well, I hope it was okay. I tried. Review Challenge: What do you plan to do this summer? And what are your thoughts on the first chapter of the House of Hades?**

**Reviews and ideas are loved! There are about six chapters left in this story...**

**-BBH**


	45. Chapter 45: Percy

**Dear Anonymous/Bored/Whoever the hell you are: Why don't you just grow up and quit calling me a lazy bitch for not updating? Just because I'm at the end of the story doesn't mean I can update faster. I have to actually write the chapter first, and this isn't my only story that I have to update. I have a life other than writing and things that I want to do. So if you can't act more mature and quit spamming me with comments, then just quit reading my story. **

**Sorry for typos/OOCness. It's fast paced, I guess, but I hope you like it!**

**Happy Reading!**

* * *

Chapter 45

Percy

For the love of the gods, they just couldn't get a break, could they?

They'd already been to Where the Lost are Revealed. They'd had a freaking makeup fight inside of there. And the thing they had felt… pulling them into the basement. That had been Gaea, pulling them into the House of Hades. The Doors of Death were inside of there, and they had been ignorant enough to leave the place and keep searching. They were going in one huge circle.

And Nico was the one who had told him that the House of Hades was in Epirus. Had they found out that it was actually in Tartarus? What if they kept searching for it? They would never be able to find it

"Are you sure?" Percy asked quickly.

"I'm positive," she insisted. "Now, you have to leave, he's getting closer."

But Percy couldn't just leave. Calypso was wrongly locked up in prison. He could understand all of the monsters, but she was a Titan that had helped him a long time ago. She had even said that they would never see each other again. It went against everything Percy believed in to just leave her to be tortured, but he knew that if he closed the Doors of Death and stopped Gaea's army, it could free her.

He was so caught up in his own thoughts that he didn't feel Annabeth tugging on his hand, urging him to leave. Once he realized what she was doing, he followed along in quick steps. "We'll get you out of here," he whispered hoarsely. "I promise."

Calypso didn't say another word as she turned around in her cell and walked to the back of it. Percy eyeballed the other monsters, who were fearful of this Orcus that was coming down to hurt them. It was pitiful and sad. Percy cared about Calypso, but he cared about Annabeth even more. He had to make sure the person he loved got out alive.

So, without caring about making no sound, they ran.

Percy heard Orcus shout at them with a gruff voice. "Blasted demigods!" That was followed by a string of curses that would've made any trucker driver proud. Heavy footsteps began to thunder rather than walk casually. Percy squeezed Annabeth's hand as they ran down the stairs and through the hallways past the rotting body parts and blood puddles.

Percy heard the sound of a whip against the wall again. He thought about turning around and fighting this Orcus guy, but they didn't have time for that. If they got back on the four wheeler, it would go a lot faster than that monster could run. Plus, he couldn't stray far from the prison, because he had prisoners to look after. Hopefully, he wouldn't send Mania and Mantus after them either. They didn't sound like they were a lot of fun.

For some reason, when he reached the gate, he turned around.

Big mistake.

Orcus was already outside, right by the doorway. He was huge, like a sumo wrestler. His greasy hair was back in a ponytail and he had a very long leather whip hanging around his neck. Worst of all, he wore a loin cloth. What was up with the ugly monsters and people wearing diapers?

The worst part was his face and chest. His chest was a mixture of different types of hair, clumpy and covered in blood. Some of it was shredded off because of cuts, and Percy could see the deep scars covering his body. His face was contorted, as if someone had repeatedly slammed him into wall. Teeth were missing and those that were there were dripping with crimson.

Orcus unfurled his whip from around his neck and snapped it against the concrete walls. The hit was so hard that the wall crumbled a little bit. Percy and Annabeth weren't even at the four wheeler yet. They needed to get out of there, but Orcus was close. No doubt he was going to fight them.

They backed up and aimed their weapons at the Orcus, in case he decided to come after them. But instead, he laughed.

That was wrong on so many levels.

It should've been illegal for him to laugh. It wasn't even a laugh, really. It sounded choked, like he was trying to be villainous but sort of failing at it. Percy knew that the guy could obviously really hurt them, because he had seen all of the prisoners, but the evil laugh just didn't work for him.

"Do you really think that your demigod weapons are any match for my power?" he demanded. "I run this entire compound, and I have been for millennia. I could crush you with my pinky finger and you wouldn't even know what'd hit you. You two are nothing. You may think you are special but you aren't."

Percy should've grabbed Annabeth and gotten out of there, but they had to face their enemies.

"Where'd all that come from?" Percy asked, tauntingly. "Seems to me like a certain someone is a little jealous, no?"

Orcus's face got bright red with anger, but it looked like someone was trying to strangle him. His hand clenched into an empty fist and he kept whipping his whip with rage, causing all sorts of things to break. But the entire time, he did not move any closer. He stayed by the door and the two of them stayed by gate, in defensive positions, eyeing one another, waiting for the other to make their move.

"You are just as arrogant as Poseidon himself," he thundered. His knuckles were white. He looked like he wanted to strangle them. "But I cannot be the one to kill you, unfortunately. The Earth Mother has seen for your passage back to the House of Hades."

"But, why would Gaea do that? Doesn't she want us dead?" Annabeth asked. Percy was getting ready to ask the same thing. If they got to the House of Hades, they would have to close the Doors of Death, and that would stop Gaea from rising. Why would she want them to go there? Percy thought that she'd doing whatever she could to stop them.

"Some daughter of Athena you are," huffed Orcus, tapping his foot restlessly. "Seems to me like you're more of an idiot than a braniac."

Annabeth started forward like she wanted to fight the torturer, but Percy wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her back. She struggled for a second before giving up and standing beside him again. The hand with her knife in it twitched. Percy wanted to run over the guy with a eighteen wheeler truck, but he was out of those, and that wouldn't be the best way to not get killed.

"She needs a sacrifice to be awakened. One or both of you, it does not matter. Someone must die in order for her to rise, and that's why I must let you pass. You have to go to close the Doors of Death, because that is the whole point of your quest, but if you go there, you both shall die and Gaea will rise and the Doors will remain open. In other words, your entire mission is useless, but stupidity is something you were born with, and you guys will go there anyway."

Percy blinked, and Annabeth tried at a comeback. Orcus laughed again and a shudder rolled through Percy.

"So run now," he told them. "You'll just fail and die in the end."

With those words, Orcus crossed his arms over his chest and waited. He still did not attack them, and so Percy pulled Annabeth away from the fence. Once it was behind them, it slammed shut. Percy turned around, but Orcus hadn't moved from his position at the opening of the place. Weird. Percy felt Annabeth's arms go around his waist as he turned on the four wheelers.

He gave one last look to the prison. Orcus stood there still, and he said one more thing. "There's a fair chance you won't even make it to the House of Hades. The Graveyard of the Respectable has a line of its own monsters that will murder you without a single thought, because they don't work with Gaea."

Calypso was still inside. She'd be tortured. There was nothing Percy could do. Orcus would protect his prison, and he wouldn't kill Percy or Annabeth, but he would probably do worse. They had to stop Gaea. It was the only chance for peace.

As Percy zoomed away, neither of them said a single thing. Percy thought about what Orcus had said. He remember what Annabeth had said a few days back, about seeing something move in the graveyard. Had they seen these monsters that Orcus had talked about? He said they didn't work with Gaea, but was that a good thing or a bad thing?

They drove through the forest and the fields and the hills for a little while. They still didn't really talk to each other. Percy wasn't sure what he was supposed to say. Maybe he should say something about Calypso. Words didn't come easily to him though. He wasn't sure what he would say. Calypso had saved his life, and yeah, there had been a part of him at the time that had kind of liked her.

But Annabeth was it for him.

Over the time they rode all the way back to Where the Lost are Revealed, he felt Annabeth lean forward and kiss him on the cheek. "That went a lot easier than I had expected it to. I still can't believe that Orcus didn't attack us, but I think we're going to have an even worse fight ahead." She sighed. "I'm glad you're okay, and I hope Calypso is going to be okay too. She must've really liked you to help you like that."

Percy, still at a loss for words, nodded.

After that they didn't talk, but soon Percy saw that giant, fatal building, looming in the cloudy green sky. He couldn't believe that the House of Hades had been in the basement of the place the entire time. Nervous excitement bubbled inside of him. This was the end of it all. They just needed to close the Doors of Death and then find a way out of Tartarus, and it would all be over.

Once they got close to the surrounding fence, Percy parked the four wheeler and helped Annabeth down. They each took a swig of nectar and got their weapons ready once again. This would be a fight against a lot of monsters, but when Percy looked into the graveyard, he didn't see anything. After a moment, he saw one thing dash in between tombstones, but it was too fast for him to make out any features.

He turned to his girlfriend and kissed her once. "Good luck," he breathed into her hair.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him. "Same," she said.

They broke apart and hopped over the fence. They stopped for a second and examined the area. Just a bunch of corpses and tombs. Percy still didn't like graveyards and wanted to get through it as fast as he could. He took one step forward. That's when everything started to go downhill.

Girls were everywhere!

They popped out from behind the headstones and from the ground, spreading for a while in both directions, eyes trained on Percy and Annabeth. They were gorgeous, even though they were covered in dirt and rotting flesh. Their hair was lush and he could see their sparkling eyes. What ruined it all was their hands, with were ugly and crippled with claws six inches long.

Annabeth sucked in a breath. "It's the Danaides! RUN!"

He didn't need to be told twice. He and Annabeth took off as fast as they could, but the Danaides, whoever they were, seemed to be just as fast. They gathered around Percy and Annabeth and lunged at them, claws outstretched.

One of them landed on top of Percy, and her claws raked his chest. He gasped in pain and struggled to put his sword between them. "Pretty half-blood," she purred, then slashed at him again. Percy brought the hilt of his sword up and slammed it against her face. She reeled back with a scream and Percy kicked her off. She flew backward and hit the ground.

She was replaced with another, who leapt on his back once he'd stood up. His face hit the ground and he grunted. These girls were relentless. Another one jumped on top of him too. He felt their claws scratching through his clothing and skin, and blood being drawn. It ran down his body in rivers. But the cuts weren't too deep which was good.

Annabeth screamed, and Percy wanted to help her, but he was struggling against the girls that were already fighting him. "Annabeth! How do you fight them?"

"You can't," she yelled back, and she sounded far off. "You don't."

Percy arched his body off the ground and then flipped the two of them off. They landed down in the dirt, and Percy jumped to his feet. He slammed his heel down into their face, over and over again, until they were bleeding golden ichor. Once they were in no condition to be fighting him, he turned around and observed how many were left.

There were too many. Over thirty, by far. And they all looked just the same.

Three had surrounded Annabeth, while the others were rooting them on. Annabeth was holding her own. She hadn't gone down like Percy. She deflected a hit and then twisted around to embed her blade in the eye of one of them. She yanked her knife out and then stabbed it through the chest of another. Then she did a butterfly kick in the last ones face, and it collapsed down. She smiled victoriously.

The Danaides booed, and Percy was so caught up in watch her that he hadn't realized that more of the girls had come after him. One let loose a battle cry and ran up to him so fast that he didn't have time to react. She kneed him in the stomach and then did a roundhouse kick to his cheek. Thankfully, he recovered quickly and then lashed out at her with Riptide.

With a hack she was down on the ground, but like the others, she did not dissolve. She merely just rolled around in pain. He brought his sword down again on her leg so she wouldn't be able to stand. Sweat poured down his body as his blade met the claws of one. Sparks flew, proving that they had some really sharp talons. He swept her legs out from underneath her with one slick move.

"KILL THEM BOTH!" the Danaides chanted as they circled them. Lovely.

For a minute, Percy and Annabeth ended up back to back as they had been so many times before, but after the fighting had commenced, they were quickly separated from each other, fighting for their lives. It was a normal routine, but then he noticed that the ones that had already gone down were standing back up and joining the fights again, wanting revenge.

They went down, but they were healing too. There were too many of them for Percy and Annabeth to fight off. The only chance they had was to run.

So he did. He ran over to Annabeth and grabbed her from her fight, and the jumped over the fallen sisters as they ran towards Where the Lost are Revealed. It seemed so far away, but they jumped on top of tombs and didn't look behind them. The only indication they had that the Danaides were following them were the shrieks and cries.

Once they reached the back door, they ran inside and slammed in shut behind them. They pressed their weights into the door, but the Danaides pounded against it. "Who are the Danaides?" Percy asked breathless.

"The Forty Nine daughters of Danaus," Annabeth informed him. "They all murdered their husbands and were forced into Tartarus for all eternity. They were supposed to be condemned to carrying water jugs, but that clearly didn't work out right. Now, I guess they are just a bunch of sociopaths that kill anything in sight."

"Orcus was right about the monsters wanting to kill us," he said. One of the Danaides body slammed the door, managing to kick his body forward. He swallowed loudly. "We need to get to the basement."

"Do you want to let go of the door?" she questioned. "Then they'll all come in, and we won't stand a chance this time. We'll have to get straight to the stairs."

"We'll have to be fast," he answered. "On three. One. Two. Three."

They let go and sprinted down the aisles. The door banged open with angry screams, but they didn't stop. Once an aisle was behind them, Percy would push it down. Plumes of dust went into the air and created some sort of smoke screen that would hopefully confuse the monsters. The wreckage that they created would be hard to get across too.

Percy and Annabeth reached the staircase that went down instead of up. It was still roped off, and he slashed through it. It tumbled down and disappeared.

They glanced at each other before plunging into the darkness that was the House of Hades.

* * *

**I hope you liked! I tried my best to do this... and now there are only five chapters left. Review Challenge: What is your favorite website? Mine is a tie between FanFiction, YouTube, and a bunch of random Twitter pages (cough, Amanda Bynes, cough). I also like looking a book blogs, like Rick Riordan's and Jennifer Armentrout's. **

**Reviews and ideas are loved. Oh, and for everyone who asked, you have to actually buy the first chapter of the House of Hades. It comes with the ebook of the Son of Sobek. **

**-BBH**


	46. Chapter 46: Nico

**Thanks for nominating me for the FanFiction Choice Awards by Lightning-at-221b. You can go check it out to cast your votes and whatnot:)**

**Sorry for typos/OOCness. This chapter is not very good, but you guys wanted an update so this was the best I could give you, 'cause I'm sorta stuck. **

**Happy Reading!**

* * *

Chapter 46

Nico

While they fell, darkness ended up swallowing them, and Nico was ripped from the grasp of the others. For a second, he still felt like he was falling, but then he was standing up in a room all by himself. He had been in this place before.

He was in the House of Hades, but at the time, he hadn't known that.

Nico was covered in dirt and bruises. His body ached. He'd just been pulled down a staircase for what felt like forever. There was a long cut on his forehead, causing blood to drip into his eyeball and blur his vision. All of his weapons were gone, leaving him with nothing to defend himself. He let out a deep breath and sagged against the wall, which was closer to him than he'd thought.

He turned around and looked up. The staircase was gone. There was no light shining down from above. There was no chance of hope. The only light came from the torches along the walls, burning Greek fire.

Sighing, he snatched one of the torches. Greek fire was dangerous, so it was better than nothing.

Nervousness and excitement boiled inside of him. After traveling around for days in Tartarus, he'd finally reached the Doors of Death. This had to be the place with them. But he knew that Gaea was down there too, and she was probably going to do everything in her power to make sure he died.

The crazy part was that Nico hadn't been trying to find the Doors of Death. He had been trying to stay alive. He'd had no idea what was in the basement, but now that he was in there, he felt this power being radiated all around him. It was full of evil. It could only be the Doors of Death, because that was the only explanation.

Wherever he was, there was nothing. Just a dark cavern made of obsidian. The torch light only gave off so much light; he could see about ten feet in front of him, which wasn't exactly reassuring.

His footsteps echoed as he began to walk, wishing that the staircase was still there so that he could turn around and leave. But he needed to do this; he had to shut the Doors of Death, because then all of the madness would stop and his friends would be safe. He was the son of Hades, so it shouldn't be too hard.

_You think you will be a martyr, Nico di Angelo, but your time has yet to come._

Nico jumped at the voice, because it was ancient and female, but he knew that it had to be the voice of Gaea. What did she mean by his time had yet to come? Nico wasn't trying to be a martyr, because he didn't want to die, not in Tartarus with no one near him. He just wanted to close the Doors so no other souls would escape, because that was unnatural, and he was the only person who could do something.

_Each time a demigod dies by me, each time one is sacrificed, I get stronger. _

That made him stop walking.

Gaea laughed, but Nico thought about what the Earth Mother had said. If he died by her hand, she would get stronger. Those words gave him extra motivation to be an even better fighter, because she would definitely put up a fight. If the Doors of Death were closed, it could very well postpone Gaea's takeover. He started walking again, but then began to run. The Greek Fire flickered, and he realized how much the flame reminded him of the moon outside, as both casted things into greenish shadows.

The walls were beginning to widen when Gaea spoke again.

_But you, Ghost King, are needed as bait. I can't have you dying now, no matter how strong it may make me. No, you will bring them all to me, and I shall rise._

"You're wrong!" he yelled into the air. His breath was coming out in huffs, and it was becoming impossibly cold. "I would never lead them to you."

_You never would do that intentionally, she corrected. But by the time you remember this, you and your friends will be coming to me on both sides, and once they all arrive, they shall all die at my hands. Until that time comes, however, you do not need to remember any of this. _

What did she mean? Would he get amnesia just like Percy and Jason? And by what she was saying, she intended on him getting out of here and staying alive. His didn't realize he was shaking until he almost dropped the torch.

The torches began to line the walls again, and he could finally see better. His mouth dropped open as he laid his eyes upon the Doors of Death, and what was Gaea.

There was only half of the doorway, and the door was open. Both were made of cement, and the freaky part was that when Nico looked through the doorway, the other side wasn't this cavern at the basement of Where the Lost are Revealed. It was an entirely different place, and Nico had a feeling that if he ran through it, he would be back in the world of the living.

But at the bottom of the doorway, in the very center, was a giant, churning pit of dirt, and Nico could just make out the head of hair that belonged to a very bad goddess.

It was Gaea, and she was rising.

With a gust of wind, all of the fire went out, and Nico was in darkness once more.

_I'll be seeing you soon, Nico di Angelo. And when that day comes, someone is going to die._

He heard a snap, and something hard hit him in the chest. He sailed backwards and kept on going until his head cracked against the stone wall. Gaea's victorious cackle was the last thing he heard before the pain was so unbearable that he blacked out.

As he spiraled through black, he thought about the memory he had just seen. Gaea was right. He hadn't remembered anything until the very last moment, when he had decided to lead his friends to the Doors of Death. He gulped and also realized that he was leading his friends toward their possible deaths, and that he wasn't taking them to the House of Hades.

The House of Hades had been in Tartarus, at Where the Lost are Revealed. That was where he had been, and that was where Percy and Annabeth needed to go.

She would be seeing him again soon, because she was rising on each side of the Doors. She had access to each group of demigods. She had knocked Nico out without any trouble, and only her head had been out of the pit. Now, time had passed, and she would be stronger. If she managed to kill them, she would definitely rise.

When he had opened his eyes again, the pain was a dull throb, and there was a floating candle in front of him. Before he could be too confused, however, a man walked up to him, and he was standing in front of the giant Tityos.

Always a diplomat, he wore a suit and tie and his scars seemed even more prominent, because his skin was very pale. He was very thin now, like an old man. His messy dark hair was gray and his brown eyes looked sad and defeated. He eyed Nico with grudging respect, but also something dangerous. "Well, Nico, you've outsmarted me, I suppose. I can only be amazed at how you managed to make the Greeks and Romans work together."

Nico wanted to yell IN YOUR FACE, but it was depressing to see this man. "Well, I guess I have my ways," Nico ended up saying while tapping his foot.

Tityos shook his head. "And by that, you mean luck. You forced them together through fear. It seems as though you aren't so different from us as you think you are. Ruling by terrifying those around you. You've even scared your friends." He began to pace back and forth, but the movements were cautious and careful, like he could fall over at any moment. "You've stopped a war and you've stopped my rise, all because you have literally scared everyone to death."

"I am different from you," Nico thundered at the dying giant. "You wanted people to die so that you could rise to power and join Gaea. I put a stop to that, and now, you're dying, and you'll never rise."

"But you used fear, Nico di Angelo, which is what we have been doing all along."

He took a step back and hit a wall. There was nothing that he was going to be able to do. Tityos couldn't hurt him; he was powerless. But so was Nico. He was still exhausted from using Terror. He legs wobbled, and Tityos chuckled. Nico reeled his fist back to put it in his face, but an invisible force stopped him.

"Nico, you're going to die when you reach the Doors of Death this time. Gaea will not spare you. The only thing you can do now is join our cause. That, my friend, is the only way you will be spared."

"I'm not your friend," Nico spat.

"My apologies. But we aren't enemies either, Ghost King. If we were, I would've killed you by now, because if you die it'll help my mother rise. But if you don't we can work together to accomplish a common goal, and that's stay alive. Neither of us want to fade. We don't want to become martyrs. We want to do something."

It was true; he didn't want to die, even if it was for a cause. He liked to travel through the Underworld, but not as a dead person. But he would never join Gaea's army. For all he cared, Tityos could rot for all eternity. If he died, he died. Even Rachel thought he was going to. All he could do now was keep on fighting, and fight to the very end. He had to defend his friends, even if they were horrified of him now. He wasn't going to give up on anyone. Percy and Annabeth had to get out of Tartarus.

And he was sick of being called the Ghost King.

"I've said this before, and I'll say it again," he started, his voice dangerously low. "I. Will. Never. Join. You."

Tityos sighed. "Even if that guarantees your death?"

He nodded.

"Because, boy, your death is inevitable. The prophecy has predicted it. If you lead them to Gaea, even your friends may end up dying. I say that it is very selfish to risk their lives. If you join me now, I can promise you that they will be safe."

"You Giants always lie," retorted Nico. "And we will fight and we will win."

Tityos just looked at Nico. He stared at him for so long that Nico began to squirm. Tityos had never really given them an offensive attack before, but standing so close to him was unnerving. So Nico broke the silence and continued to talk to the giant. "You have only caused destruction everywhere. So many innocent half-bloods just died. Kauai faced destruction. Our friend Taygete is probably dead because of the fight she had with Bellona, and our friend Thalia stayed behind in Old Faithful just to make sure that we would live. She might be dead too. And it's all your fault."

He shook his head once more. "No, Ghost King, it's also your fault."

"Quit calling me the Ghost King," he automatically snapped.

"We said before that if you joined us, your friends would be spared. This is the price that you have paid for not taking up our offer."

Nico was taken aback.

"Goodbye, Nico di Angelo. You'll be joining be soon enough."

Before Nico could say anything else, Tityos faded into black smoke. The candle flickered off, and his back landed against a hard, rocky surface.

"NICO!" someone was yelling, and he was being shook rather violently. He groaned and let his eyes fall open.

Hazel was kneeling over him, hands on his shoulders, shaking him. He looked over and saw everyone else standing up, looking down at him. For some reason, he noticed that Piper and Jason were standing far away from each other, which was weird, because they were usually holding hands all the time. What had gone down between them? Well, that wasn't important.

Nico recognized the place immediately. They were in the catacombs of Ioannina Island, in Epirus. This was where he had realized that he had amnesia. This was the place that they had once believed was the House of Hades. How far off could they have been?

Rachel had been right, after all. The Gate on Olympus had brought them all the way back to where they had started.

"How long have I been out?" he asked, rubbing the back of his head as he stood up. Hazel had to grip his waist to keep him from falling over. He was seeing stars.

"A few minutes," Leo informed him. "Not too long, but we need to get moving and retrace our steps to where we'd been before. We're all pretty sure that the place where the Gate was before is where the Doors of Death are now. There are probably tons of monsters everywhere, so we need to be prepared to kick some serious monster butt."

But there wouldn't be. Nico told them about the things he'd remembered while he'd been out. He told them about Gaea rising in the center of the Doors and what the scene looked like. He told them about how they could see right through the other side into Tartarus and vice versa.

But he didn't tell them about how Gaea and Tityos believed he would die.

The others took in the information, and once Nico could stand straight again, they began to move through the underground tunnels. Nico led them all, because over the course of this quest, he'd become somewhat of a leader. This was where everything was going to end, if they were lucky. They were coming up to the epic finale of all of this.

The closer they got to the Doors of Death, the more Nico knew what he had to do.

He had to be the martyr.

* * *

**Happy Birthday, Jason Grace! Happy Kalends of July! Okay… so I have some updates for you guys, regarding my updating schedule.**

**So, this week I am going to Ocean City, Maryland, with Kimmie G914, to see our grandma for the Fourth of July (America, Frick Yeah), and she has no internet. Then, I have tennis three times a week, every week, all summer. On the Fourteenth, I am going to Orlando, Florida, for about a week with my dad. When I get back, I have band camp for six days, and then I am going to a Train, the Script, and Gavin DeGraw concert. So… yeah, updating is going to be crazy, but hopefully I'll have the story finished by the end of the month!**

**Reviews/ideas are loved. Review challenge: What is the newest song that you've fallen in love with? For me, it is San Francisco by the Mowgli's. **

**-BBH**


	47. Chapter 47: Annabeth

**I'm sorry for not updating. My reasons: I was on vacation, I'm sick now, I'm getting ready to go on another vacation (Tropical Storm Chantal might stop that, though. I wish Poseidon and Zeus would quit fighting), I've become addicted to solitaire, and I just finished the entire Vampire Academy series, which I started on Monday. Vampire Academy has risen to become one of my favorite series ever. **

**Sorry for typos/OOCness. **

**Happy Reading!**

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Chapter 47

Annabeth

Annabeth could feel the darkness seeping into her as she and Percy landed in the House of Hades.

For a few seconds they were tumbling through the air, and it was like déjà vu. How many times had she been put into this situation? Too many for her taste. Fortunately, the fall didn't very long and it hurt like Hades when her back hit the hard ground. All of the wind was knocked out of her body and she struggled to breathe.

Someone was shaking her, and then she realized that her eyes were closed. When she opened them up, her body relaxed. Percy was kneeling over her. "Annabeth?" he asked frantically. "Annabeth, can you hear me?"

"Loud and clear," she answered, rolling onto her side. There was a dim light illuminating the House, and she coughed then spit something onto the ground. She had a feeling it was blood, but she wasn't surprised. Those sisters had one heck of a punch. She looked and saw the staircase, which was broken halfway and had caused them to fall. She bit back a curse.

Percy helped her to her feet. She brushed off the dirt and wondered what she looked like. Not good, obviously. She focused on Percy, who was scrounging around to look for anything they had dropped on the way down. His face was bloody and there was a long cut on his dominant fighting arm. She couldn't tell if it was deep or not.

Her boyfriend caught her gaze and gave her a half smile. "It's just a scratch," he teased. She wasn't buying it.

"It's more than a scratch, Seaweed Brain. How are you going to be able to fight?"

"It'll all be good, Wise Girl. You don't have to worry about me." That just made her want to worry more. She felt only a little better went she saw him pour nectar over the wound. It began to close up and wash away the blood, but as she moved closer, she saw just how bad it really was. He needed stitches, and she wasn't a doctor.

"We need to get a move on," Annabeth said.

"Not until we treat your wounds too," Percy insisted, walking up to her. She was hurt? Where? She couldn't feel anything. He gently pressed down on her shoulders to make her sit down, and then he proceeded to sit in front of her. He tugged off her backpack and then looked inside, searching for something to use.

He had pulled her leg into his lap, so she looked at it noticed the wounds. It looked like Mrs. O'Leary had decided to use it had a chew toy. She remembered the pain she had felt when her ribs and ankle had been broken. She felt none of that now, even though she could see the mangled junk that was her leg.

"It just looks worse than it is," she told Percy. She had been able to stand on it perfectly. And she was right. Percy pulled out gauze and antiseptics. She'd forgotten about packing those. He poured nectar and antiseptic onto her leg. It was the first time that it hurt. It stung so badly that she slammed her fist down on the hard ground, which resulted in her scraping up her knuckles.

"Sorry," he told her, and then wrapped her legs up in gauze. "You sure you're okay?"

She couldn't get over just how cute he looked when he was worried, with his eyebrows all scrunched up together. "Yeah, now let me wrap you up, Percy."

Percy gave small protests but then ended up letting her put gauze on his arm too. He thanked her, but after he did so, something clicked in Annabeth. With a gulp, she looked down at the clothes she was wearing and at the clothes Percy had on.

They were slashed to bits and pretty much hanging off of their bodies. Blood and dirt had stained their clothes and Annabeth was pretty sure that no stain remover would be able to take it away. She was thinner than she had been in a long time, probably from lack of water and food. They were malnourished and weak, fighting to stay alive. If she had a mirror, she'd be terrified to look in it.

Nonetheless she brandished her knife. Annabeth and Percy stood up. "Let's stop Gaea for good," she told him.

"Yeah, I'm kind of sick of her," Percy said.

Annabeth noticed that none of the Danaides had come after them. They had acted like they would stop at nothing to kill them, so maybe they thought that they were goners with Gaea. That didn't exactly settle right with Annabeth.

The cavern they were in was illuminated by Greek Fire torches. Dangerous. But then Annabeth realized that it could help. She snatched one of the torches off of the wall and held in out in front of her. The light did little to help them see, and Annabeth had the strangest feelings as they started to walk further into the House of Hades. Everything about the place screamed evil, from the obsidian rocks to the churning in her stomach.

There was a voice in her head that yelled at her to turn around. The voice told her that there was a good chance she would die.

She remembered Hera's words_. Then you will die heroes_. If she was going to die, that would be the way to go. Elysium would be nice. She could just imagine herself there with Percy, sitting on the sandy beaches and exchanging kisses as they watched the sunset and ate barbecue and—

Whoa. Why was she thinking that? Dying was not one of her plans. She had to be optimistic. All eight of them would get out of their alive. They would all be fine. But still, the prophecy had said, "_For Though the Eight May Stay, There is One too Many for Giant's Decay." _That left her thinking that at least one of them wouldn't leave this, and the rest of the prophecy led her to believe it may be Nico.

Yeah, she was just Miss Positive.

Laughter cut off her thoughts. It didn't come from Percy though. It was ancient and old, matching the cavern they were in. Annabeth had no doubt it came from Gaea.

_Two little pawns. Excellent. _

The two of them stopped at her voice.

_You idiot demigods believed that I required two half-bloods, a boy and a girl, to make me rise. How wrong you all were. Two will make me strongest, but just one is enough to bring me out of this cursed grave. Perhaps it will be one of you. No one is safe._

Percy told her some very unkind words that almost managed to make Annabeth smile, even in their situation. "You know what Gaea?" Annabeth asked loudly, her voice echoing in the large, empty space. "Say what you want. You're the one in the dirt, and we're the ones here to make sure you never, ever see daylight again."

_Even in this state I am more powerful that you. _

"If you insist," Percy said with a snicker.

_I control the earth and all that resides on or in it. The plants and roots obey my command. I can start tsunamis and earthquakes. I am everything your precious gods are rolled into one deity. You have no chance at all. _

Percy opened his mouth to say more to her, but she nudged him. "Don't give her the satisfaction of talking to us. She just wants to make us mad. Let's just get the job done and get out of here." When she said it like that, it sounded so simple. She wished it was.

_Have you ever played chess?_

Yes, she had. She was actually really good at it. She thought about the one time that she had tried to teach Percy how to play. He thought the rules were so stupid and couldn't remember any of them. She had crushed him in five clever moves. So when Gaea said chess, Percy groaned and rubbed his face with his hand, but Annabeth's curiosity peaked. Curiosity killed the cat, she remembered.

_If you have then you know that the King must not be able to move without being taken for the game to be over. Checkmate. All moves have to be gone. Yet the King almost has no power; it can only move one space at a time. _

Percy looked lost and he turned to Annabeth. "Where is she going with this?" Annabeth wish she knew.

_Of course, the most powerful piece is the queen. She can move in any direction, no matter how many spaces. And then, there are the pawns. The useless little soldiers that they are. They stand in the first row, and they are the first to fall. They are the sacrifices that any player must make. They just keep moving forward and they never go back, no matter how foolish it may seem._

It was cold in the cavern. Goosebumps appeared on her skin. She shivered, and Percy draped his left arm around her shoulders, trying to rub some warmth back into her skin. She had a feeling it wouldn't help at all. The temperature just kept dropping. Wind began to blow. The ground rumbled and shook them both. Her knife faltered in her hand.

_In this game that we are playing, I am the Queen. And you two are merely pawns. All eight of you are. You eight make up the first eight spaces. And one by one I will take you. _

The walls started to widen on both sides. They continued to journey through the House of Hades, but Gaea remained silent. Somehow, the silence was worse than her voice, because Annabeth knew that she was up to something. Something very, very bad.

There was a nervousness inside of her that made her body ache even more. This was it. This was the end and this was when they were finally going to face Gaea. They would finally close the Doors of Death, once and for all. No more souls would escape.

But if they closed the Doors of Death, how would they ever be able to leave Tartarus?

She had already been thinking about it, but now that everything was so close to being over… She just didn't know what to do. It wasn't like they could climb out of Tartarus. Maybe the gods would help them somehow. Maybe Hades would be able to. Or Hermes. Annabeth hated Hermes, but maybe if the god could help them, she might hate him a little less.

Percy hand stopped her. "Look."

She'd been looking at the ground, at the Greek Fire, at him, at anything but what was in front of her. And when she did, her heart skipped a beat. The Doors of Death were right in front of her.

She actually hadn't expected them to look like, even after Calypso's small explanation. She looked through the doorway, and the other side of them wasn't the same place. It had to be some place in the mortal world. Annabeth longed to just grab Percy's hand and they just run through, save themselves. But what kind of hero would she be then? She'd be a coward.

The Doors themselves were huge and made of concrete. One of them was on this side, and other was on the mortal side. When they were brought together, the Doors would seal themselves from both sides.

And in the middle of the doorway, ruining it all, was Gaea.

She was standing in the center of a pit. The pit churned with dirt and rocks, and it sort of looked like quicksand, trying to pull the goddess down. Gaea's cloak was made of dirt too, and she wore a veil made of dust. She had a very pale face, and her eyes were opened into the slightest of slivers. In the light of the Greek Fire, she could just make out that her eyes were dark red and speckled with brown.

For a minute, no one did anything.

Until Gaea lashed out at them.

She didn't actually move, but the ground split and roots shot out of it. One hit Percy and sent him flying back through the air. Annabeth wanted to see if he was alright, but she wasn't given the chance. Another thick root snapped at her, and she barely managed to dodge that. Right after one swung over her head, another swept at her feet.

Annabeth was always in motion, dodging and weaving her way through the root. The ground split beneath her and the entire cavern shuddered like it was going to collapse down on them. She wondered briefly if that would stop her. "Percy?" she screamed. "PERCY!" Oh gods, if he was dead…

"ANNABETH!" came a voice, definitely Percy's. She allowed herself to feel better for a second. He was alive.

Though Gaea was still slashing at them, Annabeth noticed that the small, more flexible roots were trying to wrap around her body, most likely to pull her into the pit and make Gaea stronger. The Earth Mother cackled at them, and then entire time she never even moved. She just stood in the dirt.

She tried to bring her knife down on the roots, but that did little. Percy's frustrated yells had to mean that his sword wasn't doing much either. There wasn't any way they were going to be able to close the Doors of Death if Gaea kept this up.

The Greek Fire torch. It was still in her hand.

She couldn't throw it far enough, but if she could get close to Gaea…

Instead of falling backwards, she ran forward, screaming a battle cry. "FOR THE GODS!"

The plant matter still snapped at her, but Gaea seemed confused for a second. Annabeth was fast, and all of the running she'd wanted to do over the past few days just exploded out of her. She sprinted around everything that came at her, and nothing could stop her. The feeling was so amazing that she wanted to skip, but that was just wrong.

"What are you doing?" bellowed Percy, far behind her.

She didn't answer. He'd see soon enough.

Once she was close enough, she threw the Greek Fire and prayed it wouldn't go out. As it spun through the air, Gaea actually turned towards her. Annabeth faltered back a step, but she didn't want to give Gaea the satisfaction of seeing her scared. She wouldn't bow down to anyone.

The Greek Fire landed in the pit and grazed Gaea, but that was enough. The fire spread all over her and her screams of pain filled the entire House of Hades. The roots collapsed back into the ground as Gaea was turned into nothing more than green flames. The shaking stopped.

"Payback sucks, huh?" she asked.

The answer was screams.

Percy was by her side in an instant. He grabbed her hand and they ran towards the Doors, ready to close them.

Something caught her ankle and yanked her skyward, only there wasn't any sky. Just a high stone roof, which was even worse. She'd barely managed to shriek before the thing pulled her again. It was one of the roots. One tied up her legs, and another squeezed her arms to her chest. Her knife fell to the ground. The roots tightened, and she stopped breathing. There was no way she could.

Her world was turned upside down, but she focused on Gaea. The flames were completely gone. She looked fine, like nothing had happened.

There was a smile on her lips.

_You're only pawns. _

"Gaea, if you were smart, you'd drop them right now."

Annabeth stopped struggling, and the roots loosed just a little bit. She could breathe again. But she did not fall, thankfully. That would've hurt. The voice hadn't been Percy's. She looked at saw that he was in the exact same position. The voice hadn't even come from the House of Hades. It was muffled. It was from the other side.

She focused on the doorway, and watched as Jason, Piper, Leo, Hazel, Frank, and Nico appeared on the other side.

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**Bad ending, but thanks for reading! Review Challenge: How do you think this story is going to end? I, of course, know, but I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas. And, the best and most far out idea will actually get a sneak peek of one of the upcoming chapters!**

**Reviews and ideas are loved. **

**-BBH**


	48. Chapter 48: Jason

**WARNING: Grab a box of tissues and/or a gun, because after reading this chapter, you guys may be crying and you may want to shoot me. **

**Sorry for typos/OOCness/possible depression. For extra dramatic effect while reading, play the song **_**Alice by Avril Lavigne**_** on repeat. **

**Happy—Sad?—Reading!**

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Chapter 48

Jason

Seeing Percy and Annabeth made his heart stop.

Especially since they were hanging upside down in the House of Hades.

They looked… horrible. From what he could see, they were scratched and torn up with terrible, visible wounds. They were covered in so much dirt that their skin even looked completely black in some places. Their clothing was torn and just hanging off of their bodies. They looked hungry and thirsty and _way _skinnier than usual. It was as if they were Death reincarnated into two teenage bodies.

Jason wasn't sure what he'd expected to see. While they had traveled back through where the Gate of No Return had once been, he actually hadn't thought that Percy and Annabeth would be there, but he'd thought he'd been prepared to see anything. He'd kept an open mind about everything.

Gaea chuckled. _All eight. How lovely._

She dropped Percy and Annabeth, which would've been good except for the fact that they were so high up in the air. Jason cringed when he heard the both of them hit the ground with the _CRACK!_ "Percy! Annabeth! Are you okay?" they all called in various forms.

The silence that followed was sickening. Neither of them said anything.

"I'm good," someone groaned softly, but they could hear the voice perfectly. It was a girl's, so it had to be Annabeth. Jason was glad that Gaea still wasn't attacking them. The Earth Mother seemed thoughtful, though it was hard to tell. Jason could barely see her face, and her eyes seemed to be closed, like she was still asleep.

Seeing the Doors of Death was overwhelming. Only half of them were on the mortal side, the other in Tartarus. The Doors would have to be brought together to completely be sealed, and they were huge. Gaea stood in a swirling pit of dirt and earthy materials, directly in the center. The ground on the Tartarus side, from what Jason could see, was cracked and split, with great roots coming out of the faults and snapping through the air.

But the roots didn't try to go after them or throw them through the air. They idly swayed waiting for a command.

"Ouch," someone moaned slowly. That had to be Percy. Through the gigantic doorway and dimming light, he could make out the two of them standing up and brushing themselves off.

_My little pawns. _

Gaea said that. They were only pawns to her. That angered Jason even more as he aimed his Imperial Gold sword out in front of him. The Earth Mother wasn't moving out of the pit, though. She couldn't, because she was still rising. And she looked like she was half asleep.

Jason wanted to say something like, "Prepare to meet your fate, Gaea! It's all over." That would sound right. But truthfully, he felt like he was going to pee himself. Being this close to someone his powerful was nerve racking. He told himself that Gaea could so no real harm since she wasn't fully awake.

It didn't help that much since he had just seen Percy and Annabeth nearly killed by her.

_So many little sacrifices to make the Queen more powerful. Let the games begin._

What was up with all of the chess references? Jason didn't like chess that much. He was more of a checkers kind of guy, but he knew enough about the game to know that the Queen was all powerful, and the pawns could barely do anything and just died off without anyone caring. They were the first line of defense for the more powerful pieces.

Jason knew for a fact that they wouldn't be able to completely end Gaea now. That wasn't the point of their quest. The reason they were doing this was to close the Doors of Death and save Percy and Annabeth. The real battle against Gaea would be later on.

But Gaea wasn't going to let them close the Doors. She was going to fight back.

He was aware of Piper by his side. He wanted to tell her that he loved her. He wanted to kiss her. He wanted to do something. But now was not the time.

He trained his eyes on the Doors, Gaea, and Percy and Annabeth. They had their weapons ready too. Jason realized that she wasn't favoring her ankle. Hopefully they had found a way to heal her.

Finally Gaea was too restless, so she started the fight to the death.

A giant root snapped down at him and Piper. They jumped away from each other as root connected with the ground right in between them. At the same time, a tremor rocked the entire area, making it hard for him to stand. Jason fought his way closer to the goddess, snapping his sword through the little vines that started to grow, blocking his path.

A sudden idea crossed his mind. "Leo! The Sphere!"

Leo, who'd had fire racing up and down his arms as she shot fire balls at Gaea, stilled. "Great idea," Jason heard him say. Leo started fiddling with his pockets trying to find the Archimedes Sphere and use it. A lot of it was still a mystery to them, but now was the time to try and use it. They were all going to get out of there, and they would do so alive.

Jason wanted to tell him to use the Athena Parthenos too, but he didn't see how a giant statue would help them. They didn't have the time, resources, or patience to try. So he kept quiet about. Perhaps once they had Annabeth back she would be able to use her smart self to help them figure it out. Until then, the mystery ball would have to work.

Piper was the closest to Gaea. She was talking to her, using charmspeak. "Lower your defenses, Gaea. Go back to sleep. Calm yourself. Don't you want to take a long nap? Aren't you just so tired?"

Charmspeak wasn't working. If anything, it was making everything worse. Gaea fought harder. Jason watched as a thick root reared back and smacked Piper in the midsection. She screamed as she flew backwards through the air. Only then did Jason realize how big the cavern really was, because it took a while for her to land. He wanted to go to her, but he had to keep fighting.

He faced Gaea. She was still just standing there.

_Foolishly brave to the end. _

Frank transformed into a tiger that had taken steroids, because it was three times the size of a normal one. Using that agility, he leapt from spot to spot, swiftly dodging the blows. Every so often he would change back into a normal person and launch an arrow at Gaea. Jason saw one nail her in the gut, and she cried out before the arrow dissolved into air. Well, that had worked out like they'd planned.

Leo was still fiddling with the Sphere, trying to find out how to make it get bigger. He really needed to hurry. When he met Jason's annoyed gaze, he shrugged hurriedly. "Don't look at me like that. I'm trying my best."

Hazel and Nico were working together. They were the most evenly matched. Gaea, being the goddess of the earth, pretty much controlled everything that resided on it, but she was mostly using the ground and plant matter. Nico and Hazel fought back, using their own geokinesis they possessed from being children of the god of the dead. Hazel was better with the things that were in the earth, while Nico used everything as a whole to attack.

He couldn't see much of what Percy and Annabeth were doing from their side of the fight.

Jason was in a fight of his own during all of this. Somehow, Piper was at his side once more, clearly not that hurt from what Gaea had done. They went back to back for a second, slicing and slashing at the vines and roots that Gaea was using as defense. After staying like that for a while, Jason realized that Piper was gone. Where she was, he didn't know.

He flew up in the air, using the winds to carry himself around the cavern. He could visibly see the ground shaking. Leo had finally managed to get the Archimedes Sphere back to its original size. It was on laser mode again though. Jason found himself dodging the lasers just as much as Gaea.

Then Gaea started to throw some more boulders, which made flying all the worse. Jason eventually had to land, because the boulders weren't exactly doing it for him. Fighting on the ground was no better than doing so in the air. The Earth Mother was still acting way too calm in this situation. She really didn't want anyone coming near the Doors.

Jason saw Nico started moving close to the Doors of Death. His eyes said he was on a mission, but it didn't look like he was trying to close the Doors. It seemed like he was heading straight for Gaea. Jason wondered what he was doing, but he didn't have time to ask him.

"Uh oh…" Leo trailed off. That didn't sound good.

"What?" Percy yelled.

"Get down!" he shouted from the other side of the cavern. His voice carried authority, but also something that sounded like fear, and it wasn't from the fact that Gaea was acting them and winning. Leo never showed fear, but his voice betrayed him.

Jason couldn't see anyone else, but he hugged the floor like it was his best friend.

For some odd reason, Jason kept his eyes opened the entire time. He wanted to see what was happening, because he needed to be ready at a moment's notice. However, he was on the ground, curled up with his hands over his head and his back against the stone wall. Just before everything happened, he scanned the area for his friends to see where they were.

Unfortunately, he couldn't see Percy or Annabeth, because from his position he didn't have a clear view through the doorway. Frank and Hazel were crouched down behind a bolder, hugging each other. Nico was closer to the Doors, still eyeballing Gaea with a dangerous glint in his eyes, like he knew something they didn't or he was about to act irrationally. He too, however, was down on the ground, following Leo's orders.

Piper… where was Piper?

Jason's heart flailed when he realized that his girlfriend was nowhere to be found.

His eyes sought her, but in the darkish room, he could barely see the rest of them. In fact he hadn't even seen where she had gone while they had been fighting. For a minute, she had been by his side, but now she was gone. Hopefully, she was on the ground and protecting herself. Maybe she was behind one of the giant chunks of rock. He hoped so.

Leo had the Archimedes Sphere in his hand, and it looked like it was spewing fireworks. He threw it into the air like a javelin, aiming it towards Gaea, who was still calmly standing in her pit with a dreamy smile etched into her face. The Sphere never reached the Earth Mother.

In the last second, Jason tried to call out Piper's name. "PIP—"

But an explosion cut him off.

Fire waves rolled out of it from all sides, coming dangerously close to Jason's face. It made him squint and his eyes tear up. The fire blew through the air and swirled around him with vibrant colors. The heat made him wince and shy away. Only Leo was fireproof. The rest of them, not so much.

When the flames licked his skin, he cried out in pain. They only reached his arm, but his teeth grinded together, and when he bit his tongue, blood was definitely drawn. Somehow, he managed not to scream, but somewhere in the back of his mind he wished he had on long sleeves instead of his ratty shirt.

The fire on his arm actually went out as he ran his hands across it. It didn't spread to any other part of his body, but the skin was bubbling and melting off, even charred and black in a few places. Nausea rolled through him and he fought the urge to throw up. It was hard, and lying down on the ground wasn't helping. The skin of his forearm had already begun to blister, and it was a harsh angry red. He sucked in a sharp breath.

The waves of heat had not ceased yet. They just seemed to keep coming at them all. He put his good arm in front of his eyes, but out of the corner of his eye, he could see Gaea, still just standing there as if nothing was going on. Apparently, fire did nothing to her. There was Greek Fire on the walls; Jason wondered if that would do anything.

The best explanation for what had just happened: Leo had pressed the 'self destruct' button on the Archimedes Sphere.

When the fire waves had finally died off and the cavern was put back into the usual setting, Jason sat up slowly, hugging his arm to his chest. He scrambled to his feet in time to see Nico moving towards Gaea once more.

Until everything just froze.

The cold air that had been there before the explosion had returned and then some. Without a warning, the temperature plummeted into the negatives. Ice formed on the ground and icicles hung from the roof. The wind howled, and Jason found it so cold that he couldn't move. He realized that Nico had stopped moving too. Everyone had stopped, and they were all screaming for warmth. Normally, so would have Jason, but the cold air actually felt really nice after the crazy heat.

Jason breathed out and watched the cloud of air escape him.

Was Gaea doing this? Just how powerful was she?

Well, Gaea actually wasn't doing much anymore. The attack had stopped, because the ice was enough. This gave Jason a minute to inspect his wounded arm.

Even with the coldness, his was still searing. The blisters were full of puss and he could see some of the bone. He fumbled with his hands until he found the nectar he'd kept. He poured a little bit of it onto the wound, and it helped soothe the pain a little. The air and ice began to make his arm numb too, which he was glad for. This would be the first and only time he'd enjoy the cold air.

It got warmer though, soon enough, but his muscles were still frozen. He leaned against the wall and started making his way to the others, who were all huddled together. He almost smiled when he saw that Piper was there. They all looked pretty unharmed to him, but when they saw him, they swarmed to his side.

Piper grabbed his shoulder, where he wasn't burned. "Oh gods, you're hurt…" She gulped as she glanced at what had once been an arm. All of the malice that she'd had towards him had vanished.

"I'm fine," he said, though he really, really wasn't.

"No, you aren't," Frank said, speaking his thoughts. "Jason, this is really bad. You need to rest. You need some serious help." How could he say that with everything that was going on. He didn't have time to get help. He had to keep fighting. Gaea wasn't going to stop. She wasn't going to rest until they were all dead and gone, and they weren't going to stop until the Doors of Death were closed.

Leo was shaking his head. "The Archimedes Sphere… it's gone…"

Frank and Hazel were making a fuss over each other. Jason looked through the doorway and saw Percy and Annabeth hugging each other in relief that they were both still alive. Nico was moving towards the Earth Mother again, ready to fight. But the Doors of Death were still opened, and Gaea was still rising. They had to finish all of this.

Gaea didn't freeze them again, but her attacked started again. Even though his arm was killing him, Jason still fought along with the others. Every time that Gaea snapped at him, he jumped backwards with defense and then offensively swung his sword, which did little to help. He started to put little electrical charges in his attacks, that way maybe it would burn the goddess. Then she would know how he was feeling.

Nico was fighting, but it was slower than before. He knew something they didn't. Nico turned his back for a second, and Gaea swung at him. Hazel tackled him at the last second before the boulder smacked him upside the head. They rolled across the ground, and Hazel looked down at Nico. "What are you doing?" she demanded. He was shaking.

_Nico, Nico, Nico, _Gaea murmured. Out of the corner of his eye, Jason saw Nico freeze in fear.

"MOVE!" Jason yelled. Nico moved just in time to not get nailed in the face by another giant, flying rock.

_This whole time, I've thought of you as a pawn. But no, you aren't one. You're the King of the game. _

What was that supposed to mean?

Nico froze again, and in the dim light, Jason could see realization flare in his eyes. He lowered his sword to his side, and Gaea didn't even attack him. She continued her attack on everyone else except him. He stood there and didn't move at all. Jason realized that he was in deep thought. "What are you doing?!" screamed Annabeth from the other side. Nico didn't seem to notice her. He didn't notice any of them.

"Fight Nico!" yelled Percy. "Do something."

Nico ignored him.

_What are you going to do, Nico? Are you going to be the martyr? Or are you too much of a coward?_

What was Gaea saying? A martyr was someone who died for a cause, and Nico wasn't going to die. None of them were going to die. They were going to get out of there alive, as a group. If Jason could get close enough to her, he'd put his sword right through her head and keep it there.

Nico looked at all seven of them, sorrow and finality in his eyes. "I'm sorry…" he whispered, just as Gaea said, _This is check._

Before a single person could react, Nico surged forward with a battle cry. His sword was out in front of him. Every attack that Gaea threw at him he dodged with skill that Jason didn't know he had. They cried out for him from both sides, wondering what he was trying to do. Jason found out too late.

Nico launched himself into the pit and slammed his sword straight the Gaea, all the way down to the hilt.

Hazel scream and so did Gaea.

The tendons that held Gaea in the pit wrapped around Nico's legs. He was using his weight to push Gaea back down, but Gaea was taking him down too. She wasn't going to die alone. The roots wrapped around his entire his entire body and choked him, but Nico didn't do anything. He started to sink with Gaea, down into the pit. This was suicide. Nico was sacrificing himself. This wasn't right. This wasn't what was supposed to happen.

But what he was doing was giving them their only chance to finally close the Doors. They had to take it. But that meant destroying Nico too.

"CLOSE THEM!" Nico yelled.

"Get out of there!" Hazel screamed, tears streaming down her face.

But everyone knew that wasn't going to work. Even if he somehow managed to break free from the hold and got out of the pit, Gaea would just rise again. Hazel surged toward the pit, her arm outstretched to pull him back up, but an invisible wall slammed into her and knocked her down on the ground, right at the edge. Tears streamed down her face even more, and Jason was pretty sure he saw tears on Nico's face too.

Gaea was stopping Hazel from saving Nico. Jason knew why. Even though this would delay her rising, it wouldn't prevent it. In the end, it would just make her stronger. She had needed a sacrifice to make her stronger, but at the same time, she was sinking back into the pit. The Doors of Death would be closed.

The attacks had stopped. Frank was holding Hazel in his arms, letting her cry. It wasn't fair to her either. Nico was like the only family she had left.

Piper was crying too. Her head was one Jason's shoulder, and he held her tightly, not even caring about his arm.

Jason realized that Nico had known this was going to happen. So had Gaea. It was all one big plot twist that he hadn't seen coming. To Gaea, this had all been a big game, and she'd already had every move laid out in front of her.

Annabeth was the one who finally spoke. Jason couldn't see her, but her voice was thick with emotion. "You'll be a hero. You'll go to Elysium."

Nico sort of nodded as best as he could. He couldn't say much. The vines of earth were wrapping around him tighter. Gaea was completely submerged in the churning dirt again, and so was the bottom half of Nico. "Close… them…" The words sounded choked and were barely audible.

Frank hauled Hazel to her feet, and the five of them ran towards the large heavy Door. Jason could just make out Percy and Annabeth doing the same thing on the other side. Just as he had suspected, the Door weighed a ton and they struggled to close. But at the same time, Jason didn't want to, because once they were close, they wouldn't be able to see the pit anymore. Nico and Gaea would be in the middle of the closed Doors with no way out.

But they had to, because Nico's last order had been to close them. Jason had to honor that. It was respectable.

Annabeth was right. Nico was a hero. He was the best of the best. He would definitely go to Elysium. Jason wished that he had respected him more, that they hadn't gotten into so many fights. It was too late for wishes and hoping now. This was the end of it all.

The two Doors met each other, and a burning seal was put into place. A light flared, and the five of them stumbled backwards, with Percy and Annabeth still on the other side, in Tartarus. How were they ever going to save them?

The last thing Gaea said was sinister and oh so calm. _And this is checkmate. _

The Doors of Death were finally closed. Gaea was gone.

But so was Nico di Angelo.

* * *

**But… as the cycle goes, there are going to be 50 chapters… which means the 50****th**** chapter will be from Nico's POV!**

**Reviews and ideas are loved, as there are two chapters left! Also, for my fellow Legend of Korra fans: The season 2 trailer has been released! YAY!**

**-BBH**


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